


Everytime

by youaremystyle



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Restaurant, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Greasy - Freeform, M/M, angst if you squint, prepare your barf bag, sekai if you squint real hard, seriously the fluff in here is disgusting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-04
Updated: 2018-09-06
Packaged: 2019-06-21 13:33:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15558825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youaremystyle/pseuds/youaremystyle
Summary: Shy Jongdae is hiding something from curious Chanyeol.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I was listening to Chen x Punch's "Everytime" from their OST for _Descendants of the Sun_  and absolutely loved it. His voice was lovely (as usual), and the song was really cute. So why not apply it to Chenyeol?
> 
> crossposted from aff

Jongdae screeched.

He had zoned out for about half a second - enough time for him to slip on a coin that had fallen on the ground and tumble down to the ground. To make it worse,  _ everyone _ saw.

Some people gasped, other simply turned around; the restaurant wasn't large by any means.

Jongdae squeezed his eyes shut as he sat on the ground, the palm of his right hand stinging from breaking his fall. He felt eyes on him, too many eyes. His face was burning, and he wanted to cry on the spot.

"Crap," he whispered to himself, pursing his lips and taking deep breaths through his nose.  _ Breathe, Jongdae. Remember your exercises. _

"Hey man," a deep voice said, melting the otherwise tense atmosphere after what seemed like hours, "you okay?"

Jongdae opened one eye and saw a rather tall young man standing above him, a worried look adorning his face. Jongdae didn't meet the stranger's eyes as he replied, "yeah."

The stranger's gaze softened, and almost immediately did he offer a hand to Jongdae. Confused for a moment, he just stared - however, it didn't take him long to realize what the stranger was offering. Internally thankful, he grabbed the tall man's hand, and he pulled poor Jongdae off the floor with ease.

"Thanks," Jongdae said quietly, brushing off his black shirt and slacks, "but sorry. I... zoned out, I guess..."

"No problem," the stranger replied kindly, "that fall looked pretty bad."

Jongdae shrugged slightly and shook his head gently. "I should really get back to work," he said a few seconds later, adjusting his collar, "thanks again."

The stranger didn't reply, but he simply smiled.

Jongdae's heart pounded a little harder.

* * *

 

Jongdae groaned obnoxiously the moment he got through the door of his apartment.

"Good evening to you too," Minseok, Jongdae's roommate and best friend, answered lightheartedly, "long day at work?"

"You don't even know," he replied quietly, mouth forming a small frown as he let himself fall onto the couch.

"What happened?" Minseok asked curiously, walking into their living room and taking a seat on the edge of the sofa where Jongdae's feet didn't reach.

"I fell at work today," he replied in a near whisper, tears almost forming in his eyes, "everyone saw."

Minseok's took a deep breath as he scooted himself closer to his younger roommate, whose breaths were short and faint. "Oh... Come here, come here..."

Jongdae suffered from  _ severe _ social anxiety - how he managed to work as a waiter in a small restaurant amazed everyone, really. He could do his job, but only his job - take orders, bring food and drinks, and bring the bill. He was completely incompetent in the small talk department, but the reason his boss still kept him on staff all these years was because all the regulars absolutely  _ adored _ him - he was petite, polite, and "cute as a button". His boss took note of all his positive reviews, so he continued to work with Jongdae on how to be a bit more sociable with unfamiliar customers.

That didn't mean that Jongdae had it all figured out. Some days were better than others. Some days, he could get through a whole 9 hour shift and feel great. Other days, he would slip off into the staff room and have a nervous breakdown because a customer snapped at him. Despite his condition and somewhat unpredictable personality, everyone still loved him, cared for him, and continued trying to help and support him, for which he was extremely grateful.

_ Today was just a bad day _ , Minseok thought to himself as he held Jongdae, who was now crying softly.

"Shh, your shift's over," he lulled softly, rubbing the younger's tummy, "you're here with me now.  _ Breathe _ , Jongdae."

Jongdae took a few minutes to calm himself down. Once he stopped crying, he suffered a few minutes of hiccups.

"So, Jongdae, what happened again?" Minseok asked softly once his best friend quieted down.

"I fell," the latter mumbled in reply, "hard. Everyone stopped and stared."

The elder hummed in reply. "Did anyone help you at all?"

Jongdae nodded. "Some nice guy did. He looked like he was our age or something. I-I don't know."

"Well, there's one good thing that came out of that otherwise bad situation," Minseok said, his voice a bit more chipper.

Jongdae nodded but didn't reply.  _ He was nice. _

* * *

 

_ *buzz* _

Jongdae's phone vibrated, the sound echoing throughout his small room. He looked up from the novel he was reading, eyebrows raised slightly.  _ Who could that be _ ? He tentatively opened his phone to see a Facebook message notification. Curious, he clicked on the link and was greeted with a warm, well, greeting.

Park Chanyeol:  **Hello!**

Park Chanyeol? Who was that? The name didn't sound familiar at all.

Kim Jongdae:  **Hi, who is this?**

No more than 5 seconds passed before another message popped up.

Park Chanyeol:  **Haha, sorry! Didn't mean to scare you like that. I'm the guy who helped you up during your shift. How is your hand? ☺**

Jongdae could barely believe his eyes. Was this guy seriously checking up on him? Why would he? More importantly, how exactly did this  _ Park Chanyeol _ find his name?

Kim Jongdae:  **Better, thanks... I'm just not sure how you found out my name or why you messaged me.**

Was Jongdae being too harsh to the guy who helped him avoid a panic attack during the middle of his shift? Maybe... But this seemed a bit strange, to say the least.

Park Chanyeol:  **I saw that you were still** **_Employee of the Month_ ** **last month in that little corner almost no one goes to.. I just, you know, wanted to check up, since your hand looked pretty bad.. Sorry for creeping you out, man.**

Jongdae sighed lightly.  _ Go easy on the guy, Jongdae. You'll probably never see him again. _

Kim Jongdae:  **Sorry, didn't mean to seem so callous. I'm just a bit private, is all. I am doing much better, thank you. Today was just a rough day, you know?**

Park Chanyeol:  **I feel it, man. I nearly got hit by a car before coming to your restaurant...**

Kim Jongdae:  **Oh man, well, you survived.. that's all that matters.**

Park Chanyeol:  **Yeah, I guess. Life is just not on my side at the moment.**

Kim Jongdae:  **Life is never on my side, really.**

Park Chanyeol: **Especially today, amiright? LOL**

Kim Jongdae:  **...**

Park Chanyeol:  **Sorry... I don't always think about what I say before I do. Didn't mean to offend.**

Kim Jongdae:  **No problem, man, and you're totally right. I'm just kinda a killjoy sometimes, so it's not you.**

Park Chanyeol:  **You're not a killjoy...**

Kim Jongdae:  **You don't even know me, lol.**

Park Chanyeol:  **Maybe not yet. Don't take this the wrong way, but I'd like to get to know you better. You seem pretty chill.**

Kim Jongdae:  **You...wanna get to know me? After you saw me make a complete fool of myself?**

Park Chanyeol:  **LOL I do that everyday, so don't even worry about what I think. I am 110% idiot ☺**

Kim Jongdae:  **I doubt that. You were very kind and helpful to me today, which I greatly appreciated. I don't think I really properly thanked you for what you did...**

Park Chanyeol:  **Oh, don't worry about it! I'm always here to help ☺**

Kim Jongdae:  **I'll keep that in mind~**

Neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol replied for a few moments. It wasn't until he looked away did Jongdae receive another message.

Park Chanyeol:  **Do you work tomorrow?**

Kim Jongdae:  **Yeah, unfortunately. Solid 11-7. I'm dreading it :(**

Park Chanyeol:  **Maybe I can meet you there when you get off... Just so we can more properly introduce ourselves. Am I being too pushy?**

Jongdae couldn't help but smile. Someone actually wanted to be his friend. So much for "never seeing him again".

Kim Jongdae: **No problem by me. I can't get you the employee discount yet, that'll be later on if you decide to stick around ☺**

Jongdae then stared in horror at what he typed. The smiley face was the icing on the cake of disaster. Luckily, however, Chanyeol didn't seem to mind at all.

Park Chanyeol: **I'll definitely make sure to, then ☺**

Kim Jongdae:  **Great! Well, I have to actually go now. It's getting late, and I have work tomorrow...**

Park Chanyeol:  **Alright, you get some sleep. Maybe I'll see you around?**

Kim Jongdae:  **Maybe, haha. Goodnight!**

Park Chanyeol:  **Night ✌️**

Jongdae couldn't help but smile broadly to himself. On one hand, this Park Chanyeol seemed to be a bit of a handful, but on the other hand, he was very kind and a good distraction. Jongdae clicked out of the messages window and noticed that he had a new notification. He clicked it and grinned.

_ Park Chanyeol would like to be your friend!  _ **_Confirm | Not Now_ **

Jongdae smiled and clicked 'confirm'. He sat for a moment before deciding to click on his new 'friend's' profile. The first thing he saw on the page was Chanyeol's profile  [ picture ](http://k-popism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/EXO-Suho-Chanyeol.jpg) . The photo had nearly 200 likes and about 15 comments.

_ This guy must be super popular! Who is the other guy in the photo? _

Jongdae continued to browse through Chanyeol's photos before landing on  [ one ](https://1.soompi.io/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Chanyeol.jpg) that made him smile again. 218 likes, 32 comments. The caption read:

_ "just got accepted into Yonsei!! celebration party woot woot! #smile ☺" _

"He goes to Yonsei?" Jongdae mumbled to himself, eyes wide.  _ He's smart, too. _

"Who goes to Yonsei?" a tired sounding voice asked suddenly. Jongdae jumped and looked over to his door to see a very sleepy looking Minseok, eyes half closed.

"N-no one, hyung!" Jongdae squeaked out, shutting his laptop a bit harder than he probably should have.

"Huh," Minseok replied, yawning loudly, "because you were cheesing pretty hardcore a minute ago."

"You've been watching me?" the younger exclaimed, biting his lip.  _ This is awkward. _

"Kinda. You were pretty boring otherwise. Who were you looking at? It wasn't that Yunho guy again, was it?"

"No! It wasn't Yun- hey! That was years ago, drop it!"

Jongdae's face was burning at this point, and all he wanted to do was crawl in a hole. He knew, however, that Minseok truly was only teasing, and that he meant no malice.

"Uh huh, right," the latter replied lazily, "well I'm heading to bed now. Sweet dreams, Jongdae."

"Night Minseok!"

Minseok chuckled quietly before closing his roommate's door. Jongdae sighed happily.

* * *

 

Jongdae slumped down into a chair the moment he entered the small employees' room at 7:15. Today had been an extremely long day at work - with crying babies, unsatisfied customers, and some lousy tips, he was ready to head home.

"Man, table 8 was cursed today," one of Jongdae's coworkers and friends, Kris, grumbled as he slumped into another seat. Jongdae nodded.

"So was table 2," he replied quietly as he (finally) took off his apron, "they would not shut up. It was super awkward."

"I  _ wish _ my tables would actually talk," Kris exclaimed, resting his head on his arms, "I try to make smalltalk and they just, you know, ignore me."

"One day, if we get people like that, we should trade," Jongdae suggested, a small smile forming on his lips.

"Ditto," Kris replied, raising a thumbs up.

A moment of silence passed before Jongdae's and Kris's manager, Luhan, poked his head into the door.

"Yo, Jongdae, there's someone outside looking for you," he said, eyebrows slightly raised.

"Huh?" Jongdae replied dumbly, eyes wide.  _ Who could be waiting for me? _

"Tall, big ears, brown hair? Sound familiar?"

"Not really."

"Well, just get out there when you can. I told him you could be a few minutes. Anyway, I gotta get back to the Cursed Table."

Jongdae and Kris chuckled. "8?"

Luhan gave them a sickly sarcastic smile before heading out and closing the door.

"I knew it was cursed!"

* * *

 

Jongdae sighed as he exited the employees' room around 7:30. He had changed out of his uniform and into some more comfortable clothing - khaki shorts and a nice t-shirt - since the summer weather has finally arrived.

He was still curious if that one person was still there waiting for him. Who could possibly be waiting for him? All his family lived out of town, and Luhan's description of the guy didn't match any of his friends.

"See you, Kris," he said to his coworker, smiling softly, "good luck with table 2."

"Thanks man. Are we still on for Friday at my place? Bring Minseok too. He needs some fresh air," Kris replied softly.

"Yeah, we'll be there," the younger replied happily.

"Great, see you guys then!"

Jongdae nodded and continued on his way into the actual restaurant. He looked around before Luhan came up to him and said in a hushed voice, "he's sitting at table 6. Guy's been there for over an hour. Be nice to him." With a quick smile and a wink, Luhan was off. Face slightly flushed for no apparent reason, Jongdae took a few deep breaths before slowly walking over to table 6.  _ It's okay, Jongdae. Just breathe. _

The moment Jongdae saw who was at table 6, he froze.

"What are you doing here?" he blurted out, covering his mouth the moment he said that because it was the guy who helped him yesterday and  _ what was his name?? _

"Hey there," the guy replied sheepishly, a nervous smile on his face, "how are you?"

Jongdae couldn't really respond because of the shock he was in. "Uhh..."

There was an admittedly awkward silence before Jongdae managed to whisper, "I... di-didn't think you would actually come..."

"Right, about that," the guy said sheepishly, looking down bashfully, "I...wasn’t actually sure... I was down in the area to pick up my mom's dry cleaning, and I saw your restaurant from the window and was like,  _ oh, that Kim Jongdae works there, I said I would visit him _ , so yeah. Here I am."

Jongdae couldn't stop the small smile that graced his lips. "I see."

Another short silence ensued before the mystery guy continued, "well, let me introduce myself properly. My name is Park Chanyeol-"  _ Chanyeol! I knew it was Chan-something!. _ "-am 22 years old! I love playing the guitar, petting cats, and eating delicious food!"

Jongdae's smile grew, and a feeling of new found confidence took over. "I-I’m Kim Jongdae, and I'm also 22 years old. I.. I like playing the piano, reading fantasy novels, and playing with kittens. Who doesn't love kittens?"

_ Chanyeol _ grinned from ear to ear. "That's the most I've heard you speak since we met."

Jongdae's ears reddened as he replied quietly, "S-sorry... I have b-bad anxiety."

Chanyeol had enough courtesy to look slightly ashamed. "I'm sorry, I didn't know.."

"It's okay," Jongdae replied, waving it off, "just... suck at talking sometimes. All the time. Ugh."

"Well, I'm really good at talking... Too good, some people say," Chanyeol chuckled, making Jongdae smile again, "so maybe I can help you in that department?"

The latter nodded eagerly.

"I'd like that."

* * *

 

Chanyeol, who Jongdae learned was just a few months younger than himself, could definitely talk, there was no doubt about that. The two had decided to head to an actual cafe to grab something cool to drink. Chanyeol opted for a strawberry milkshake, while Jongdae decided to get an iced coffee.

"My best friend, Minseok, would have a stroke if he saw me drinking this," Jongdae chuckled quietly, nodding to his drink, "he doesn't believe in iced coffee. Thinks it's an abomination."

"Let me guess," Chanyeol replied, "he's the guy who orders hot black coffee without sugar or cream."

"Bingo," the elder replied, a small smile adorning his lips.

"Is that the same Minseok in your profile  [ picture ](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CgTlrVlWQAE7YHt.jpg) ?" Chanyeol asked curiously. Jongdae nodded. "He's the one."

"Where did you guys meet?"

"At school. We were roommates our freshman year and, you know... things just hit off from there."

"Oh, okay! Where do you go to school?"

Jongdae took a deep breath.  _ Chanyeol wasn't kidding when he said that he could talk. _

"Korea University," he replied proudly, "studying linguistics, English, and international studies."

Chanyeol's eyes narrowed suddenly, and it took Jongdae a few seconds to realize why.  _ He's from Yonsei. _

"Technically, you're my enemy," the younger said quietly, a sly smile adorning his lips.

"Ah, right. The Korea-Yonsei rivalry," Jongdae replied warmly, "and those friendship games, which we destroyed you in last year. 5-0!"

"Hmpf," Chanyeol grumbled, "at least I got to participate. I almost scored a goal in the football match."

"I did football too," Jongdae replied softly, "lost a bet. Nearly scored a goal, though."

The two stayed silent for a moment, eyeing each other curiously.

"I also remember," he continued quietly, "I stopped a guy from scoring a goal."

"Wait a second!" Chanyeol exclaimed loudly, quickly covering his mouth upon seeing glares from other customers, "you were that one guy!"

"Which guy?" the elder asked quietly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

" _ That _ guy. The one who stopped me from scoring my goal. The one who slide tackled me and got carded for it." Chanyeol stared incredulously.

"Well, the guy I slide tackled got a pretty nasty cut from my cleats," Jongdae said, biting his lip, "I felt really bad. Plus I got carded."

Chanyeol's eyes widened. "I have a mini scar from a cleat incident last year..."

The two stared at each other in a tense silence.

"So it  _ was _ you," the younger breathed, eyes staring directly into Jongdae's. The latter, an uneasy and guilty feeling overtaking him, looked away in shame.

"I... I'm s-sorry," he whispered, pursing his lips, "I n-never meant to... t-to hurt you..."

"No worries!" Chanyeol replied nonchalantly, waving off the comment, "the past's the past. You did what you had to do. Plus, scars look pretty cool if you ask me."

"Yeah," was all Jongdae could say.

The two spent the next hour or so talking - Chanyeol even bought Jongdae another coffee! It was nearly 9:15 when Jongdae reluctantly stood up.

"I think it's time for me to head home," he mumbled, frowning slightly, "my roommate, Minseok, has already texted me six times."

"That's okay," Chanyeol replied, his tone a little sadder, "I should get home too. Joonmyun and Baekhyun probably weren't worried, but still..."

"Are they your roommates?" Jongdae asked as the two exited the cafe. The younger nodded, his usual grin adorning his face.

"Yup. You'd like them, I think. Especially Joonmyun. He's similar to you, I think."

"Huh."

The two stood in silence before Chanyeol said in a quieter voice, "um... would you like me to, you know, take you home? I know it's been a long day for you..."

For once, he couldn't look at Jongdae - his hand scratched the back of his head, and  _ was that a blush? _

"Um."

Jongdae wanted to say  _ yes! _ , but his mouth wouldn't open and his heart rate began to speed up.

"Ah, no problem," Chanyeol said a few seconds later, smiling awkwardly, "we just met, I know. I'm a bit overbearing sometimes, so sorry if I seem pushy. Anyway. It...was lovely talking to you today, Jongdae. I hope we can-"

"Wait."

Chanyeol shut up immediately, his soft gaze landing on Jongdae, who continued in a whisper, "d-don't go yet..."

Chanyeol grinned widely, but didn't have the heart to tease Jongdae. Not yet, at least.

"Okay."

* * *

 

About 15 minutes later, the pair arrived at Jongdae's apartment.

"Thanks again...for walking home with me. You didn't, you know... have to do that," Jongdae said quietly as he clutched his clothes bag tightly. Chanyeol grinned.

"You  _ did _ ask me to stay with you longer, Jongdae," he replied, playfully flicking Jongdae's cheek, "so I kind of  _ had _ to."

The elder looked down, biting back a huge, dorky smile. "Still."

The two stood in a comfortable silence before the door to the apartment suddenly opened, revealing a surprised Minseok.

"Oh! Hello..."

Jongdae and Chanyeol both jumped and faced Minseok, who now had a curious look on his face.

"Well, goodnight!" Jongdae almost squeaked as he tore his gaze away from Chanyeol and ran past Minseok into the apartment without looking back.

Chanyeol stood frozen for a second, stunned at what happened in just 5 seconds. He then shook his head and looked back at an amused looking Minseok.

"Well," he said, "I guess I'd better, you know... get home."

Minseok chuckled. "Thanks for getting Jongdae home," he said, "and by the way. Where do you go to school?"

Chanyeol furrowed his eyebrows in confusion but answered, "Yonsei."

Minseok laughed out loud at that, and with a final "well, goodnight then”, closed the door.

Chanyeol was even more confused.

* * *

 

"So  _ that _ was Yonsei boy?"

"Minseok..."

"The one who helped you?"

"Yes..."

"He was cute."

"Listen, Min-"

"And you totally like hi-"

"Minseok!"

"Oh my god, you do!"

Minseok's smile was wide, and Jongdae's face was bright red because  _ damn it, Minseok, way to state the obvious. _

"I don't," was Jongdae's pathetic response, his face and tiny smile giving away his true feelings.

"Damn, Jongdae, you caught a  _ good _ one!"

"We're not even dating..."

"Yet."

Jongdae took a couple of deep breaths before continuing in a calmer voice.

"Minseok, p-please. Just don't... say anything, o-okay?"

The elder chuckled and ruffled his roommate's hair. "Sure thing. I gotta tease you, though, you know that."

Jongdae nodded, and he felt like a heavy weight was lifted off his shoulders.

"Thanks, Minseok."

* * *

 

Jongdae and Chanyeol had agreed to meet up again the next day; this time, they decided to meet in front of a large department store. Don’t tell Chanyeol, but Jongdae spent all morning getting ready, even though  _ “it’s not a date, Minseok!” _

Jongdae stood near the entrance of the large building, checking his watch. The two were supposed to meet at 1pm, and it was 1:15 already. Chanyeol had not sent Jongdae a text to let him know he would be late, and the latter couldn't help but frown.  _ Maybe he's forgotten…? _

**Greasy Minseok☺: if that giant forgot i will personally destroy him**

**Greasy Minseok☺: no one forgets sweet jongdae like that**

**Greasy Minseok☺: you even got all dressed up for him♥**

Rolling his eyes at Minseok's last comment (though internally not denying it), Jongdae managed to gather up enough bravery to call Chanyeol to ask him where he was. With shaking hands, he dialed the latter's number, took one last deep breath, and hit 'call'.

_ Ring. Ring. Ring. Ri- _

_ "Hullooo?" _

"Chanyeol! H-hi."

_ "Jongdae…? Oh gosh... what time is it?" _

"One... One-twenty."

_ "Shit, Jongdae.. I am so sorry, I... I just. Shit. We were... One o'clock... Are you already there?" _

"Yes."

_ "Jongdae, I'm sorry... I didn't... I'll be there soon." _

With those final words, Chanyeol hung up, leaving Jongdae standing in shock.

"So he did forget..." Jongdae mumbled to himself, his frown growing. He bit his lip and tried to blink away the tears that were threatening to fall from his eyes.  _ He probably had more important things to do than be with you. That’s fine. _

So, for the next 30 minutes or so, Jongdae waited awkwardly outside of the big department store with headphones in his ears, listening to EXO’s new single,  _ Monster. _ He was so engrossed in his music that he didn’t even hear a voice call “Jongdae!” multiple times; not until someone tapped his shoulder. He paused his music, took his headphones off, and almost immediately did he smile. Standing before him was a rather winded Chanyeol, sporting a pair of black shorts, a form fitting green t-shirt, and some clunky looking tennis shoes. His face a little red, and his eyes looked rather apologetic.

“Hey,” Jongdae said softly, refusing to meet the Chanyeol’s eyes. The latter managed to crack a small smile.

“Hey Jongdae.”

A moment of silence passed between the two before Chanyeol spoke again.

“I’m sorry I was late,” he mumbled, taking a deep breath, “I just didn’t sleep well last night and, well… forgot to set an alarm for this morning. I didn’t tell Baekhyun or Joonmyun that I would be meeting with you today, so they had no reason to wake me… I just. I hope you didn’t wait too long.”

Jongdae smiled again. “No, not at all.”

“Great!” the younger exclaimed, his normal goofy smile forming on his lips, “let’s get inside, it’s hot as hell out here. Speaking of which, why did you stand out here waiting for me? You could have stood inside…”

Jongdae shrugged.

“I don’t know… I wanted to make sure you saw me…”

“How could I miss you?” Chanyeol asked himself, quietly enough for Jongdae not to hear.

“Sorry?”

“Nothing, nothing. Anyway, let’s get inside - I’m burning up out here!”

Jongdae nodded, and the pair quickly made their way into the air conditioned building.

“Ah, air conditioning, my friend,” Chanyeol nearly sang as he opened his arms out wide, “thank you for existing.”

Jongdae couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched his tall friend.

“You love AC, don’t you?” he asked teasingly. Chanyeol nodded.

“I’m always hot, it seems,” he replied casually, his comment bringing odd thoughts to Jongdae’s mind, “I mean… I  _ know _ I’m hot, but this time, I  _ am _ talking about temperature.”

With a quick wink, Chanyeol turned his head to face forward, a smile still adorning his lips. Jongdae closed his eyes for a moment to will the rapidly forming blush away from his cheeks.

“Wow,” he said, the words coming out of his mouth before he could stop them, “tall, handsome, and modest too!”

_ Where the hell did that come from, Kim Jongdae?! _

Chanyeol, however, laughed out loud at that comment, replying quickly, “Kim Jongdae, are you flirting with me?”

“In your dreams, tall man,” Jongdae replied, smiling smugly, “though I know you’d love to think so.”

_ Again, Jongdae- what the hell? _

“I think I could get used to this side of Jongdae,” Chanyeol chuckled. Jongdae’s ~~flirty~~ _charismatic_ persona went as quickly as it came, however, and he quickly returned to his blushing, bumbling self.

“Uh-huh.”

“Aaaand there’s the Jongdae I definitely know better.”

Jongdae pursed his lips slightly and didn’t reply, but Chanyeol continued anyway.

“Hey now, I was just joking, okay? I like every part of you, so don’t worry!”

The elder nodded, since he didn’t exactly trust himself to speak yet. A moment of silence passed before Chanyeol suggested that they go get some frozen yogurt because  _ “it’s still hot as balls in here and I’m not okay with that.” _

* * *

 

“I can’t believe you. Chocolate and honey?”

Jongdae stared in horror at Chanyeol’s frozen yogurt monstrosity as the two sat together at a table - chocolate frozen yogurt, piled on with honey, whipped cream, and a multitude of toppings that  _ definitely _ were not supposed to go with chocolate and honey.

“ _ Duh _ ,” Chanyeol replied, enunciating the word obnoxiously, “they’re both sweet and delicious.”

“Uh-huh, okay, diabetes.”

“At least have some fun with your dessert,” the younger said as he ate a rather large spoonful, eying Jongdae’s yogurt disapprovingly. The latter ordered a simple bowl of strawberry frozen yogurt with a little bit of chocolate sauce and some mixed berries as toppings.

“I did have fun!” he replied indignantly, frowning slightly, “I just wasn’t blessed with fast metabolism, so I have to watch what I eat.”

“Okay, beansprout,” the younger snorted, eying Jongdae’s small figure, “because eating this will make you gain 5 kilos.”

“It might.”

Jongdae huffed unhappily and aggressively ate his frozen yogurt. He took a few bites and then looked back at Chanyeol, who was grinning at him.

“What?” Jongdae asked flatly, head tilting slightly.   
“You’re adorable,” was all Chanyeol replied before continuing to eat his yogurt.

_ What’s that supposed to mean? _

The two continued eating their frozen yogurt in silence, Jongdae glancing over  at Chanyeol every so often. One of those times, Chanyeol also happened to look over, and upon noticing Jongdae looking at him, he smiled.

“What is it?” he asked gently as he scraped the bottom of his cardboard bowl for a couple straggling gummy bears.

“N-nothing,” Jongdae mumbled in reply, quickly looking back at his own empty bowl.

“You know,” Chanyeol said, a teasing tone in his voice, “if you stare at your empty bowl hard enough, it will refill itself.”

Jongdae looked back up at Chanyeol, who was grinning ear to ear, and he couldn’t help but laugh quietly.

“Is that so?” he asked in a near whisper, “I could have saved a bunch of money knowing that.”

“Well, you know now,” the taller replied, and the two laughed again before standing up and throwing their empty bowls away.

“If you don’t mind,” Chanyeol said after they walked away from the frozen yogurt stand, “I’d like to look around for a few gifts for some friends.”   
“Oh, no problem!” Jongdae replied, nodding, “birthday gifts?”

“Something like that,” Chanyeol replied, grinning mischievously, “half-birthday, technically. It’s a running gag in our friend group.”

“Half...birthday. Huh.”

“Yeah. I just wanna see what the mall has is all.”

Jongdae nodded and smiled.

“Sure. Let’s get going then.”

From there, the two began to walk around to different shops, stopping in every once in awhile if something in the window caught their eyes. After around 30 minutes of walking and talking, the two stumbled upon a small music shop on the third floor. Chanyeol looked at Jongdae with raised eyebrows, and the latter nodded. Thus, the two entered.

The shop was relatively small for what it sold, but had a fair share of instruments, accessories, t-shirts, albums, and anything else a music lover could need.

“My friend Jongin loooooves the band EXO. Have you heard of them?”

“Oh, of course!” Jongdae replied, smiling, “one of my close friends, Yixing, loves them. He thinks that Suho is the cutest.”

“Aw, my friends think that too. The one I’m getting a gift for, Jongin, is absolutely enamored by Lay, the main dancer. He’s an inspiration for him.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Do  _ you _ like EXO?” Chanyeol asked as he pawed through the albums.

“Yeah, I listen to them a lot,” the elder replied quietly, “I like Chen. He has a beautiful voice.”

“He does,” Chanyeol replied, “do you sing?”

“No, not really,” Jongdae replied, his face warming slightly, “I wish I did, though.”

“We should do karaoke sometime!” Chanyeol said in an excited voice as he pulled out EXO’s  _ Exodus _ album, “just for some fun.”

“Maybe one day,” Jongdae replied quietly, turning to look through numerous band t-shirts.

The two continued looking around the store until Chanyeol found what he needed and checked out.

_ “A new pair of headphones for my friend Kyungsoo, and a Lay themed Exodus album for Jongin - he’s gonna shit a brick!” _

From there, Chanyeol and Jongdae continued on their way, talking about their lives and their friends, what they studied, their jobs, their families… Jongdae got so caught up in talking that he almost didn’t feel his phone vibrating in his pocket.

“Hang on, I gotta answer this,” Jongdae mumbled as he saw the caller ID:  **Work**

“Hello?” Jongdae said quietly.

_ “Yo yo yo Jongdae.” _

“Hey, Luhan.”

_ “So listen. If you don’t mind, I’m taking you off  your shift tomorrow. We just got a new hire coming in for training tomorrow and, uh, I- hang on. I’ll have someone be right with you, Sir. Uh-huh. Yes, we serve sake here. Okay. Thanks, Kris. Sorry, Jongdae. Anyway, yeah. Apparently Kris knows him from school, and I figured the hire would be more comfortable with him. Is that okay?” _

“Uh. Yeah. Fine. No problem. Good luck. With the new guy, and all.”

_ “Thanks, Jongdae. He’s apparently fresh outta high school and stuff, so. We’ll see what happens. His resume looked promising, though, so yeah. Anyway, I gotta go for now. It’s getting close to the beginning of our rush, and you know what that means. So yeah. I’ll see you on… Dang, not until Tuesday. Looks like you have a three day weekend. Lucky bastard. Okay, shit, gotta go now. Talk to you later, Jongdae!” _

With that, Luhan hung up, leaving Jongdae standing frozen for a moment.

“Do...you have to cover for someone?” Chanyeol asked quietly, frowning slightly. Jongdae shook his head and replied, “no. Actually. I was...There was… There’s a new hire and my manager is training him so. No work tomorrow.”

Chanyeol’s frown turned into a grin pretty quickly.

“Oh, well. I mean. Sucks that you got a shift cut but hey, that means more free time!”

Jongdae smiled.

“Yeah.”

* * *

 

The rest of their  ~~ date ~~ time together went really well. Neither Jongdae nor Chanyeol bought anything else (though Chanyeol was  _ this _ close to adopting a little kitten; Jongdae had to almost drag Chanyeol out of the pet store)

_ “But Jongdaeeee, she was so cute and adorable and her eyes were so big!” _

Jongdae couldn’t help but  smile widely at Chanyeol’s soft side - he would never admit it, but it definitely made Jongdae’s heart turn to mush.

Chanyeol and Jongdae were standing near the entrance of the mall when Chanyeol blurted out.

“Wanna come over?”

Jongdae’s eyes widened, and Chanyeol’s cheeks quickly reddened. He scrambled to clarify himself.

“I mean. For dinner or something. It’s getting late, and my wallet is pretty empty.”

“I...don’t know. Maybe,” Jongdae replied in a near whisper, his own face growing warm, “Minseok might worry.”

“I mean, it’s your choice,” the younger said bashfully, scratching his head, “I just. My roommates are out for the night, and it’s super lonely when they’re not there.”

Jongdae looked up at Chanyeol, whose eyes looked a little sad. He took a deep breath, and moments later, replied slowly,

“I...sure. Dinner. That sounds lovely.”

* * *

 

“Great!” Chanyeol exclaimed, smiling broadly, “I hope you like takeout!”

_ “Whoa, whoa, whoa, young man! This is your first date! Going over to his house already?” _

“It’s not a  _ date _ ,” Jongdae hissed quietly.

He had called Minseok to inform him about his new work situation, and also that that he would be back later than originally planned.

_ “Uh-huh, okay. Whatever you say.” _

“Minseok!”

_ “Okay, okay! Just stay safe and stuff. Call me if you need, okay?” _

“Yeah… Okay. Well… I’m gonna go now. Bye, Minseok!”

_ “See you later, Lover Boy.” _

Minseok chuckled and hung up before Jongdae could retort. Blushing furiously, he waited a minute until he turned back around to Chanyeol, who was sitting on the bench, playing on his phone.

“I, uh. I’m ready when you are,” Jongdae said in a smile voice. Chanyeol looked up at him and smiled.

“Okay,” he replied in a sweet voice, and Jongdae’s heart skipped a beat.

The two of them then walked out of the mall, and Chanyeol had them take the bus to his home.

“I live a little bit outside of the main city,” he explained when he told Jongdae that they he lived 5 stops away, “so it takes a little bit of effort to get out here.”

“I live about 10 minutes from downtown,” Jongdae chuckled, “so I can actually walk or bike everywhere. Except outside of the city, of course.”

“Where does your family live?”

“My family? Well, my hyung, Jongdeok, currently resides in Incheon, working to become a commercial pilot for international flights. He got a really amazing internship there a few years ago, and then he was offered a job recently. My parents are still in Siheung, though. I go and visit them every so often, mostly during my breaks.”

“Do you miss home?” Chanyeol asked as the bus stopped.

“Yeah, a lot, actually,” Jongdae replied, smiling sadly, “I miss hanging out with my dad, talking about random facts and complaining about politics. I also really miss my mom’s cooking. Oh, and their hugs. I love hugs.”

_ Noted. _

Chanyeol smiled as he stuffed that mental note into the back of his brain.

“I miss my family too,” he said, taking a deep breath, “my sister is traveling through Europe right now, so I haven’t seen her in months. My parents still live in the area, but I’m just so busy with school that I don’t have the opportunity to see them much…”

“Same. I was swamped with huge papers last semester, it totally sucked,” Jongdae grumbled, shuddering at the thought of that 16-page research paper his music history teacher made them write, “I mean. I can’t see neoclassical music the same anymore.”

Chanyeol chuckled as the train stopped again.

“I once had to write a 20-page paper on Martin Luther for my religion course,” he said, “and I’m not even a religion major! Or minor. I got a trip to Germany out of it, though!”

“Seriously?” Jongdae gaped.

Chanyeol then went on to explain how his religious uncle promised him that if he got a 90% or above on the paper, he would take Chanyeol to Lutherstadt-Wittenberg, where Luther nailed his 95 Thesis on the church door.

“It was incredible, really. It was such a cute little old town. Man, if you thought  _ this _ ice cream was good, you have to go there. It’s cheap, too!”

“Ice cream, really?” Jongdae asked, “I would have expected something like beer to have stood out.”

“Oh, yeah, that too,” the younger added, biting his bottom lip quickly, “but I like ice cream more. I’m kinda a lightweight, to be honest.”

Jongdae laughed out loud, and quickly added, “me too!” when Chanyeol began to pout.

“Well, you being a lightweight makes more sense, no offense,” he said, “but given my height and weight, I should be able to drink more. It’s science, haha.”

“Right,” Jongdae replied quietly.

The two sat in silence for another stop or so until Chanyeol asked him a  _ very _ important question.

“So...What kind of takeout do you like?”

* * *

 

The two ended up ordering fried chicken.

As Chanyeol called the chicken place on the phone, Jongdae took a look around Chanyeol’s rather large apartment. The living room was surprisingly very well furnished, full of warm lighting and dark furniture. The kitchen was small, but nothing unusable. There were apparently three bedrooms and a bathroom - their apartment seemed much nicer than his and Minseok’s.

“Yo, Jongdae,” Chanyeol called, “do you like spicy chicken?”

“Sure,” Jongdae replied, smiling, and Chanyeol went back to talking to the chicken place. He turned back around, and a few seconds later, his phone buzzed. Curious, Jongdae unlocked his phone and clicked the message button.

**Greasy Minseok☺: don’t get too drunk pls, call me if you need me to pick you up**

**Greasy Minseok☺: if he hurts you pls tell me so that i can personally break every bone in his body**

**Greasy Minseok☺: i know ur a big boy now but when u have a crush ur a little dumb sometimes**

**Greasy Minseok☺: just...be careful. i’m here for you♥**

Jongdae couldn’t help but chuckle at his roommate’s texts. Minseok has always been protective of Jongdae, ever since they first met.

**Kim Jongdae:** **He’s so cute and dorky (●♡∀♡)**

**Kim Jongdae: ...Kinda awkward but that’s my middle name.**

**Kim Jongdae: I’ll call you if I need you Ｏ(≧▽≦)Ｏ**

“Hey,” Chanyeol suddenly said, plopping ungracefully next to Jongdae, who quickly shut his phone off.

“H-hi,” Jongdae replied, laughing nervously, “got stuff ordered?”

“Yup, chicken for days!” the younger replied, smiling goofily, “you can take leftovers to your roommate if you’d like, too.”

“Oh, maybe,” Jongdae replied, “he’s kind of dieting right now, but one or two pieces can’t hurt!”

“That’s the spirit!” Chanyeol replied.

Until the chicken arrived, the two just watched TV - mostly boring news coverage, some new drama in the kpop world, and a community story here and there. When the chicken arrived, Jongdae couldn’t help but gape.

“You bought...6 things of chicken?”

Chanyeol smiled bashfully as he struggled to hold all 6 by their handle. “Uh, yeah.”

Jongdae jumped up to help the younger carry all the chicken into the kitchen.

“I can barely eat half a container on my own,” he mumbled, sniffing the delicious chicken, “especially if it’s spicy.”

“It’s okay,” Chanyeol replied happily, “I can eat about 1.5 on my own. I’ll leave some for my roommates, and then you can take some home too, for later.”

“Awesome.”

* * *

 

Three pails of chicken, a bottle of wine, and three and a half episodes of  _ The Office _ later, Jongdae and Chanyeol were nearly passed out. Jongdae’s arms were wrapped around Chanyeol possessively as he drooled on the latter’s shoulder (he was drunk, okay, give him a break). Chanyeol’s eyes were droopy, and his smile was a little loopy, but he found that running his hands through Jongdae’s hair was oddly soothing.

“Sorry I got drunk,” Jongdae mumbled into Chanyeol’s arm, “just...take everythin’ I do or say with… a grain of pepper.”

“Salt, ya mean?” Chanyeol replied, smiling. Jongdae normally would have tensed up at such a stupid mistake, but because of his level of intoxication, he simply giggled.

“Yeeeah, salt. You’re...so smart.”

“Awwwww thank you!”

“I wanna get a picture!” Jongdae whined, sitting up a little too quickly. His head was spinning, and he fell back onto Chanyeol, who burst out laughing.

“So cute,” Chanyeol cooed as he took another sip of alcohol, “lemme help you.”

He reached around and grabbed Jongdae’s phone, and smiled broadly as he managed to open the camera app.

“C’mere,” Chanyeol mumbled as he pulled Jongdae between his legs, causing the latter to let out a small laugh.

“Chanyeol-”

“I like this side of you, ya know? You’re so relaxed.”

Jongdae would have thought about that statement more if he weren’t drunk. Instead, he laughed and said, “smile!”

The two smiled and made dumb poses as Jongdae continuously took picture after picture. Peace signs, winky faces, and derp faces filled the pictures, while laughter filled the air. Jongdae was about to press the camera button once again when he saw (in the phone) Chanyeol lean and and plant a kiss on his cheek. Again, if Jongdae were less inebriated, he would have frozen on the spot. However, all he did was smile broader and take more photos. They continued to take silly photos together as the TV kept playing in the background. At one point, Chanyeol reached under Jongdae's shirt (which was actually one of Chaneyeol's, since  _"my shirt is too stuffy!"_ ) and starting poking him all over, making him giggle and squirm around.

"D-don't tickle me, or I m-might throw up on y-you!"

Chanyeol made a face.

"Gross."

* * *

 

By the end of the evening, the two had sobered up enough to get Jongdae back to his place.

"Thanks again...for dinner and everything today," Jongdae said quietly, smiling shyly, "also...sorry I got drunk..."

"Nah, it's fine," Chanyeol replied in a soft tone, smiling down at the elder, "you were great company today."

Jongdae couldn't help but blush as he fiddled with his sleeves.

"I, uh...Guess I'd better get going. No work tomorrow, but I have some chores to do."

"I understand."

A moment of silence occured before Chanyeol stepped closer, and before Jongdae knew it, he was embraced in a soft hug. He was shocked at first, but almost instantly did he melt into the taller's body. The two didn't say anything for nearly a minute before Chanyeol finally stepped back, his hands still gripping Jongdae's arms.

"You said you loved hugs," Chanyeol nearly whispered, his own cheeks a little pink, "and I...I love giving hugs."

Jongdae bit his lip to bite back a huge smile and then said, "thank you, Chanyeol. For remembering."

From there, twe two said their final salutations, and Chanyeol finally gave Jongdae one last smile before heading back to the bus station. Jongdae made his way into his apartment - full, sleepy, but happy as a clam.

* * *

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was a little rushed so i may eventually go back and do some editing

The next few days were relatively uneventful for Jongdae. On Saturday, he did some work around the apartment, watched a couple of movies, and even went out to play football with Minseok for a few hours. On Sunday, he met up with his Chinese friend, Yixing, who decided to join the _let's tease Jongdae about Chanyeol_ team with Minseok. However, the two ended up having a wonderful time together, especially since Yixing had brought back gifts for him from China.

The rest of the week, however, was quite hectic. His glorious three day weekened unfortunately came to an end, and by Tuesday, he was back at the restaurant at 11am sharp, barely ready to handle a whole week of 8 hour shifts. However, the dreaded week didn't end up being too bad - there were no rude customers (a miracle, really), and he miraculously managed to not hurt himself on the job. For the most part. He also got to meet Zitao, the new employee. He had just come over from China to study in Korea for a couple years, and promised to work hard in-between his classes.

Jongdae and Zitao got along instantly, since they were actually quite similar in many ways - personality, interests, and hobbies. They went out for drinks together one night with Kris, which was a well needed break for Jongdae.

However, it was a rather lonely week (for his heart) because he didn't see Chanyeol  _once_. Sure, they texted each other every night, and when Thursday rolled around, Jongdae had bravely asked Chanyeol to videochat so that he could show him his new Russian Blue kitten, whom he decided to name Strawberry.

_"She is literally the cutest kitten ever, you might have just killed me, Jongdae!"_

However, towards the end of his Friday shift when he walked over to a table to take an order, Jongdae couldn't help but smile when he saw Chanyeol sitting at a two person booth.

"Hello, welcome to KokoBop, what can I get for you today?" Jongdae had to use all his effort to remain as professional as possible because Chanyeol was smiling, and Jongdae just  _melts_  when Chanyeol smiles.

The latter took a deep breath before responding, "just a water to drink. And the dolsot bibimbap sounds great. With two eggs, please!"

Jongdae nodded and turned on his heel, but before he could take a step, Chanyeol had grabbed his hand and asked quietly so that others couldn't hear,

"Wait for me after your shift?"

Jongdae bit back a smile and didn't turn as he replied teasingly, "perhaps."

* * *

 

Of course Jongdae waited.

In fact, even after his shift ended at 7 o'clock, he made sure to take his time while changing his clothes, and even decided to chat with Zitao while he was on break. Once it was a little past 7:15, Jongdae took a deep breath and made his way out of the employee break room, and into the actual restaurant area.

_Deep breaths, Jongdae. It's just Chanyeol._

Obviously, however, that was much easier said than done, and by the time he reached Chanyeol's table, his face was red from holding his breath for so long - definitely not deep breaths. Chanyeol took one glance at the elder and instantly did his eyes widen.

"Jongdae? Are you...Okay?"

Jongdae nodded quickly, and while he avoided Chanyeol's eyes, took the seat across from him.

"I'm doing okay... Just. You know..."

Jongdae bit his cheek and trailed off because he couldn't think of how to continue. Chanyeol, however, simply smiled.

"Yeah. I understand."

The elder released a breath he didn't know he was holding and, for the first time since they met up, he smiled.

"What have you been up to?" he asked.

Chanyeol sighed deeply and leaned back into his seat before replying.

"Just...Chores. And planning."

"Planning what?"

Chanyeol grinned mischieveously, and Jongdae bit his lip. _What is going on in his head?_

"Well, Jongdae," he said, "I had a little talk with your lovely manager - Luhan, was it? Anyway...I asked him how many personal days you currently have, and according to Luhan, you have over a week's worth of them available."

"O-oh, really?" Jongdae replied, eyebrows furrowing, "why...did you want to know?"

"Because, Jongdae," Chanyeol continued, "my friend Baekhyun has family down in Jeju, and they offered to let us use their beach home for a little...getaway, I guess. And you and Minseok are invited, of course."

"Oh...Chanyeol...That's so kind of you, but...what about work? I can't just...take off a week for-"

"-Luhan has already approved," Chanyeol cut in, the smile never leaving his face, "in fact...he really supports it. Says you've been too stressed recently. Said that your three day break this weekend really did you well this week so. He wants you to have a good time and relax."

Jongdae looked directly at Chanyeol for the first time since they met up, and when he saw the latter's eyes, he melted.

"O-okay," was his response, "okay..."

"Great!" Chanyeol exclaimed as he slowly stood up, "we would leave tomorrow morning...I know this is kinda last minute-ish, but...We didn't exactly have this planned out until today..."

"Oh, well... That's fine... I'll talk with Minseok and I'll text you tonight if he's coming or not," Jongdae replied as stood up as well.

"Sounds great."

The, after Chanyeol paid for his meal, walked out of the restaurant and to the bus stop, where the two faced each other.

"See you tomorrow morning?"

Jongdae simply nodded as he turned his head to hide the huge grin plastered across his face.

* * *

 

"He was being  _nice_ ," Jongdae grumbled as the roommates packed their backpacks for tomorrow, "especially because he invited you too. Be grateful."

"Yes, but he also wants to see you half naked on some beach," Minseok snorted. "Not that there's much to look at..."

"You're gross," Jongdae said, "this is why I call you 'Greasy Minseok'."

"Fair enough," the elder replied, grinning as he haphazardly threw a bottle of sunscreen into the bag, "but I'm also right."

Jongdae pursed his lips but didn't reply. He was definitely super excited to go to Jeju, but what worried him was meeting  _all_  of Chanyeol's friends. They were probably sweet and kind like he was, but that fact still didn't exactly help Jongdae's anxiety.

_What if they judge me? What if they think I'm weird? What if none of them like me? What if I make a fool of myself? What if-_

"Jongdae," Minseok's soft voice said suddenly, bringing Jongdae back to reality, "you've got that look on your face. You're overthinking things."

"I know," Jongdae replied with a deep breath, "I just...I'm worried. Maybe they won't like me, or will judge me, or-"

"Jongdae," the elder said more sternly, "please. I know you, and I understand you. However, I just...If Chanyeol's friends are anything like him, at least how you've described him, I am sure they will absolutely  _love_  you. You may be a bit strange, and you may have chicken legs-"  _"Hey!"_  "-but you're still Jongdae. And you make Chanyeol happy. That's what should matter."

"You're talking about us as if we were married," Jongdae mumbled as he walked to his dresser to grab a pair of pajamas. Minseok snorted, his playful personality quickly returning.

"Maybe one da-"

"Minseok!"

Luckily for Jongdae, his phone suddenly vibrated - a message had just come in.

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: baekhyun just told me that his grandma would pay for our ferry tickets to the island!!**

**Kim Jongdae: That's awesome! Minseok's cheap ass was bitching about train ticket prices so that's a relief (;¬_¬)**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: indeed! anyway make sure you get a good nights rest- train leaves at 6:10am!!**

**Kim Jongdae: (*ﾟﾛﾟ)**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: lol sorry! we wanna leave asap, since it's like 8 or 9 hours total to jeju... whatever lol**

**Kim Jongdae: I might use you as a pillow, just warning you.**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: i'm ok with that lol, i've been told i'm a good cuddler ;)**

**Kim Jongdae: Good to know haha**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: anyway i gotta go pack some snacks for tomorrow. can't wait to see you :)**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: ps do you prefer wasabi shrimp chips or roasted seaweed?**

**Kim Jongdae: Me neither :)**

**Kim Jongdae: Wasabi shrimp chips what kind of question is that**

**Chanyeol ( ⌯◞◟⌯)♡: (♥ω♥*)**

"Ick. You two are gross." Minseok said as he looked over Jongdae's shoulder, and only laughed harder when he dodged a series of punches from his roommate.

* * *

 

Minseok and Jongdae somehow managed to get themselves to the train station by 6:00am sharp. Minseok was still quite unpleasant, since he didn't have enough time to make coffee. Jongdae managed to dress himself, but his hair was still going every which way, and his eyes were extremely droopy.

"Morning!"

Jongdae cracked an eye open to see a very happy and very  _awake_  Chanyeol walking towards them. Luckily, Jongdae was too tired to be embarrassed about his current state.

"Hi," he managed in a rather scratchy voice.

"'Sup," Minseok grumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.

Chanyeol grinned nervously as his eyes darted between the two roommates.

"Well...Everyone else is over there buying their tickets. At this hour, they're a little cheaper, only, uh, 30,000 won or so."

"Uh-huh," Minseok said as he walked past the others to go to the kiosk, his carry-on sized suitcase rolling behind him. Chanyeol looked back at Jongdae and asked jokingly, "let me guess...no coffee yet?"

Jongdae managed to crack a small smile in return as he nodded. "Bingo."

The younger laughed out loud as he wrapped his arm around Jongdae's shoulder, causing the latter to tense up.

"Let's head over to the group so we can all get seats together!"

Jongdae could only nod as the pair walked over to the group of five guys huddled together. Some looked more awake than others, but they all had smiles on their faces. He looked over and saw Minseok ordering a coffee from a vendor not too far away and chuckled. Typical Minseok.

"Hey guys, I, uh, want to introduce you to my friend, Jongdae!"

The five guys stopped chatting with each other to look at Jongdae, who felt extremely shy suddenly. He struggled to crack a smile as he avoided eye contact with everyone.

"N-nice to m-meet you..."

"Hi, Jongdae!" a short man with a handsome face and contagious smile said, "I'm Joonmyun, one of Chanyeol's roommates. It's great to finally meet you!"

"Yo, I'm Sehun." This one had...rainbow hair?

"Kyungsoo. Pleasure. Nice to meet you." This one was around his height, and his voice was melodious. Jongdae could appreciate that.

"Jongin." That poor guy looked even more tired than Minseok.

"I'm Baekhyun, the other roommate. Sure have heard a lot about you," a shorter guy who was  _way too awake_  said, a mischievious smile on his face.

Chanyeol was quick to divert Jongdae's attention from Baekhyun by saying, "Okay, the train will be here soon - does everyone have everything? We have about a 4ish hour ride. At our next stop, we'll take a taxi to the ferry dock, and from there, to the island."

There were a series of nods and mumbled agreements before Minseok walked back, looking like a different person - smiling, chipper, and holding an extra large coffee.

"Hey everyone! What did I miss?"

* * *

 

Five minutes later, the train arrived, and from there, the eight boys found two 4-seat compartments across from each other. Jongdae, Chanyeol, Minseok, and Baekhyun sat in one set, while Sehun, Jongin, Kyungsoo, and Joonmyun sat in the other.

The time was mostly spent sleeping - time wasn't even in the double didgets at that point.

As promised, Jongdae managed to fall asleep on Chanyeol's shoulder, and the latter, despite his rapidly beating heart, managed to doze off as well, just minutes after Jongdae passed out. Minseok, after his morning coffee, was quite pleasant and chatted with Baekhyun, who had a never-ending list of questions.

The ride on the train was otherwise rather uneventful. Two and a half hours passed before the group reached their next destination - their final train station from which they would take a taxi to get to the ferry, which only left once a day.

Because the group was so large, however, they had to take two taxis, which was still rather cramped. Baekhyun overpacked quite a bit, which meant that Jongdae, Minseok, and Chanyeol had to cram into the back of the car while holding some item of Baekhyun's.

"If I had known you were going to pack like this, I wouldn't have invited you," Chanyeol grumbled as he held up what looked like the outline of a hair dryer in his lap.

"Hey, just because I wanna look good each day doesn't mean you have to attack me like that," Baekhyun replied, adding a fake sniffle for show, "some friend you are."

"Stop trying to play the victim to garner sympathy."

"Uh-huh."

Jongdae and Minseok chuckled internally at the two friends' bickering - it made the thirty minute taxi ride go by rather quickly.

The group met up again at the ferry dock not too long later. Apparently, Joonmyun's group's taxi ride was just as entertaining as Jongdae's.

"We were telling our most embarrassing childhood stories," Sehun explained, still smiling brightly, "you wouldn't  _believe_  what Kyungsoo hyung-"

"Let's save this conversation for Jeju, Sehun, hmm?" Kyungsoo interrupted rather quickly, staring up at the youngest with burning eyes. The latter snorted but didn't reply, but simply shrugged.

"I wonder what Kyungsoo has to hide," Jongdae whispered to Chanyeol as they stood with their suitcases, "he seems so...rule abiding."

"I actually don't know either," Chanyeol replied in a hushed voice, shrugging, "I'm just as curious as you are."

The ferry didn't take much longer to arrive, and didn't take much time to board either, since cars weren't permitted on this one. The eight boys found a room to occupy for the couple hours they would be on the ocean.

"Where's Joonmyun?" Minseok asked curiously once the boys settled and the ferry had begun its course to Jeju.

"Bathroom," Baekhyun replied in a slightly amused voice, a pained half-grin on his face, "let's just say that the ocean doesn't exactly treat him too well."

"Ah," the elder replied knowingly, nodding, "my mom's the same way."

Joonmyun remained in the bathroom, Minseok took a nap, and Jongdae and Sehun watched Jongin, Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Chanyeol play a rather heated game of poker that ended up lasting the whole two hours they were on the ferry. It wasn't until the whistle began to blow that the group realized that they had arrived.

"Yo, someone grab Joonmyun hyung from the bathroom!" Jongin called back to the group as he eagerly looked out the window, "we'll be arriving very shortly!"

* * *

 

After another half an hour of regrouping, collecting their luggage, and exiting the ferry, the group finally arrived on Jeju. The island was just as beautiful as Jongdae had imagined it to be. There was something about islands, water, and new adventures that made him feel absoluely elated.

The last traveling they had to do was take another set of taxis to Baekhyun's grandmother's beach house, which wasn't too far away - 15 minutes or so. The drive was quiet but rather quick, and when they arrived on the property, Jongdae's jaw literally dropped.

The house was a large two story wood and stone building with lots of windows and a nice garage and stone pathway. The landscaping around the area was incredible, and he could hear the waves of the ocean behind the house.

"Well, uh. Here we are!" Baekhyun exclaimed in a nervous voice once everyone retrieved their bags from the taxi. The group spent a moment oogling at the house before Baekhyun ushered everyone inside to settle down. For now.

The interior was even more amazing than the outside, which Jongdae could hardly believe. The color scheme was white and brown with blues, greens, black, and different shades of tan. Large sets of windows offered an absolutely breathtaking view of the ocean, and the design looked like something out of a magazine. It was obvious that Baekhyun's grandmother took care of the place.

"So, um," Baekhyun began once everyone was inside and got over the initial shock of the luxurious environment, "if I remember correctly, there are...four rooms total. One master and three guest, each with their own bathrooms and whatnot."

"Who's rooming with whom?" Joonmyun asked curiously, "because I'm okay with any of you, really."

"Personally, I'd like to room with Jongin," Sehun said casually, "he and I can play Pokemon Go." Chanyeol snorted but didn't say anything.

"Oi, Kyungsoo," Baekyun said in a rather loud voice, resulting in Kyungsoo rolling his eyes.

"As long as you don't snore, I'll play house with you," the latter replied in a voice that sounded softer than his eyes looked.

"I'd like to be with Minseok hyung," Joonmyun said, quickly adding, "if that's okay with you, of course!"

Minseok agreed happily, which automatically left Jongdae and Chanyeol as roommates. Jongdae glared at Minseok, who pretended not to see him.

It was then decided that Joonmyun and Minseok, as the two eldest in the group, would have the master bedroom. The other three groups chose their rooms according to age - Chanyeol and Jongdae got next pick, then Baekhyun and Kyungsoo, and then Jongin and Sehun got what was left.

"I wonder what our room will look like!" Chanyeol exclaimed a few minutes later once the group split up to find their rooms and settle in.

"Probably exquisite and expensive," Jongdae replied quietly as he admired the rest of the interior, "ugh, this is like...a dream come true..."

The living room was cozy with three sofas, a TV, and a fireplace. The kitchen was contemporary with sleek appliances, cabinets, and seating. There was a large outdoor seating area that sat over the ocean with plenty of seating, a firepit, and tables. Each area of the house seemed to have the most amazing view of the ocean.

The pair reached their room after nearly 15 minutes of snooping around and exploring. It was a more than comfortable size with a single king size bed, a sofa, and a large set of glass sliding doors with a view of the ocean, as usual.

"Oh, wow..." Jongdae breathed as the pair slowly made their way into their new room, "this is...wow.."

"Awe-inspiring," Chanyeol added in a similar tone of voice, eyes wide.

"I've never seen anything more beautiful," the elder sighed as he haphazardly set his suitcase and backpack on the floor.

"I have," Chanyeol breathed, quickly adding, "but yeah, I agree," before Jongdae could respond.

The two explored their room and bathroom before finally lying down on the bed, the soft matress and sheets nearly swallowing them whole.

"This is heavenly," Jongdae sighed as he carelessly kicked his shoes off, "just heavenly."

"Amen," Chanyeol replied as he took his jacket off spread his limbs across the bed, stretching them to their full length.

"Keep your limbs on your half of the bed," Jongdae joked, swatting Chanyeol's wrist away. The latter retracted his hand and sent the elder a fake hurt look, pouting in a way that even Jongdae couldn't resist.

* * *

 

By the time the group had arrived at the house and settled in, it was nearly 5pm. Minseok and Kyungsoo prepared a meal for the group, while the remaining boys discussed plans for the next couple days.

"I'd like to go hiking one day," Joonmyun suggested, "I've heard that the trails here are just breathtaking. The weather is supposed to be quite nice, too!"

There were nods and mumbles of agreement before Baekhyun added, "there are a few really old temples here that could be fascinating, too."

"Are there any museums?" Jongin asked Baekhyun curiously, "because I'd personally like to go to one sometime this week."

"Plenty," the elder replied, "I brought my computer, so you can check out options tonight."

"Can we have, like, a free day or something?" Chanyeol inquired moments later, "I mean, I like you all enough, but I kinda want some personal time, too. For my own adventures, you know?"

"Yeah, and a nap day," Sehun added, which earned himself a slap on the arm from Joonmyun.

"I think that's a good idea, actually," Kyungsoo said suddenly, making everyone's heads turn, "like, just as a mental and physical break, you know? I personally don't wanna spend every waking moment with these two beagles."

He motioned to Chanyeol and Baekhyun, who, ironically enough, looked like kicked puppies. The rest of the group couldn't help but let out small chuckles, and Chanyeol sent a defeated look to Jongdae, to which the latter replied with a sad smile.

 _"Sorry_ ," he mouthed guiltily. Chanyeol smiled softly and shrugged. However, before he could reply, Minseok's voice called, "dinner!" loudly from the kitchen.

* * *

 

"I can hardly move," Chanyeol sighed dramatically, "too many pieces of samgyeopsal..."

The two had returned to their room, showered, and changed into their pajamas before settling down and relaxing. Jongdae practically collapsed on the side of the bed, while Chanyeol sat on the room's couch

"I told you not to eat so much," Jongdae replied in a soft voice, chuckling quietly, "and what did you do?"

"Don't start sounding like Baekhyun," the younger snorted, looking over at Jongdae with a raised eyebrow, "or I might kick you out for the night."

"You couldn't do that," the latter replied in an amused voice, turning over slightly to look at Chanyeol, "I'm older than you. I would kick you out."

"I'd love to see you try," Chanyeol laughed out loud, "you damn beanpole."

Jongdae grumbled under his breath but didn't reply - he couldn't argue that.

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before Jongdae let out a quiet yawn, to which Chanyeol chuckled.

"Go to sleep, Jongdae," he said, motioning to the bed, "you'll need your energy for tomorrow."

Jongdae nodded, but when he remembered that there was only one bed for the two of them, he froze on the spot.

"Do...do you want the bed?" he asked in a small voice, refusing to meet Chanyeol's eyes. The latter chuckled and shook his head.

"Looks like we're sharing," he said, consciously making sure to not be too teasing, "unless you'd like to sleep in the bathtub. Wouldn't be too bad, honestly, but that's beside the point..."

His voice trailed off before looking back at Jongdae, whose lips were pursed in concentration.

"C'mon Jongdae," Chanyeol said softly, chuckling, "it's just sleeping, okay? And besides - you seemed to not mind cuddling on the train earlier, right?"

The elder grumbled under his breath but didn't reply. He slowly made his way to the head of the bed, where he pulled the covers back. There were cool sheets, a lightweight blanket, and a medium weight comforter on top - the perfect combination for a cool summer night. Too tired to be shy, Jongdae simply shimmied himself under the covers. He watched as Chanyeol turned off the main ceiling light and head back to the bed. The two opted to keep a single nightlight on - the light from the stars and moon shined through the window enough to illuminate the room comfortably.

"Thank you for inviting me and Minseok," Jongdae whispered after a few seconds of silence, "it really means a lot to us."

"Thank you for being my friend," Chanyeol replied in a kind voice, "and for dealing with my and my friends' antics."

"Of course."

A moment of silence passed before Chanyeol spoke again.

"Goodnight, Jongdae. Sweetest dreams."

"You too, Chanyeol."

With those final words, Jongdae gently closed his eyes, a small smile never leaving his face, and heart pounding just a tad bit harder.

* * *

 


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> prepare your barf bags, my friends, this one gets gross towards the end XD

Jongdae woke up the next morning, feeling well-rested and alive - the best sleep he had in weeks, it seemed.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he heard Chanyeol say, chuckling quietly.

"Mmm, morning," Jongdae replied, his voice slightly scratchy. He stretched his limbs out, cracking nearly every bone in his body before finally opening his eyes to the soft light that filled the room. He looked around and immediately did his eyes land on Chanyeol, who was standing in the doorway of the bathroom, toothbrush in his mouth and eyes smiling.

"What time is it?" Jongdae asked as he slowly sat up in bed, rolling his shoulders and yawning a couple times in the process.

"Around 10:30," Chanyeol replied from the bathroom, his deep voice resonating attractively throughout the room, "I woke up around 8am for a walk by the beach already, though. I made sure not to wake you up."

"I'll...I'll join you next time," the elder said, the words leaving his mouth before he could even think about them. Mentally facepalming, Jongdae inhaled deeply as Chanyeol laughed quietly.

"Are you sure about that?" he replied in an amused voice, walking out from the bathroom, "because yesterday, you were definitely  _not_  what I would call awake."

"Oh, shush," Jongdae replied with a soft snort, "that was, like, 6am. Doesn't count. No normal human should be as awake as you were at the time."

"Whatever you say, sleeping beauty," the younger replied, walking over to his suitcase, "I think Kyungsoo made breakfast already, so if you want any, there will likely be leftovers in the fridge."

"Thanks for the heads up," Jongdae said quietly as he slowly made his way out of bed, "I'm starving."

\----

The two made their way to kitchen around 10 minutes later.

The room still smelled vaguely of cooked fish and seaweed, and there were still a few people scattered around the area. Sehun and Jongin were sitting on the couch, talking in quiet voices, Baekhyun was sitting alone at a table outside, talking on the phone to someone. Joonmyun and Minseok, according to Sehun, were out on a bike ride.

"And they didn't invite me?" Jongdae asked, frowning slightly. Jongin chuckled, looking at him from over the couch.

"They didn't invite anyone, hyung," he said kindly, shrugging his shoulders, "don't beat yourself up, I think they wanted to get away from the kids."

"What did-"

"You'll quickly come to find out just how much our dearest Chanyeol hyung can talk," Sehun interrupted casually, looking slightly apologetic, "best of luck."

"I swear that Joonmyun hyung will duct tape Chanyeol hyung's mouth closed one of these days," Jongin added, dodging a wadded up paper towel thrown at him, "hey! It's true!"

The lighthearted environment made Jongdae's heart swell, and after a few more minutes of conversation with the two youngest, he decided to grab some breakfast - his stomach was practically screaming at him. Kyungsoo had grilled some fish and put it over rice with roasted seaweed, and Jongdae quickly came to appreciate the younger's cooking abilities.

"The food is incredible," Jongdae said to Kyungsoo when the latter emerged from the bathroom after a shower, "really, very delicious. Thank you for cooking."

Kyungsoo looked at Jongdae with a raised eyebrow before looking at Chanyeol. "I like Jongdae hyung. You could learn a thing or two from him."

Jongdae laughed into his hand when he saw Chanyeol look unusually small under Kyungsoo's powerful gaze. "You're always out to get me..."

"You just make yourself an easy target," the smaller man replied casually, shrugging nonchalantly, "not my fault."

"Hmpf."

Jongdae actually had to turn his head to hide the idiotic smile he just couldn't hold back. He was pretty certain that Chanyeol wouldn't appreciate him cooing about how adorable he was after he had just been roasted. Just a thought.

\----

The group had decided to go to the ocean today.

The weather was hot, the air was dry, and the water was clear and tempting. Kyungsoo, Jongin, and Sehun prepared a picnic to bring along as well, to eat after they got too tired to swim anymore.

"It's...been forever since I've swam," Jongdae said quietly as he searched through his suitcase for him swim trunks, "never been a huge fan of open bodies of water."

"I'll make sure the sharks don't eat you," Chanyeol replied from the bathroom with an obnoxious chuckle. Jongdae sighed.

"My hero," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes fondly.

As Jongdae changed into his swim trunks and t-shirt, he realized just how much more comfortable he was becoming around Chanyeol. The way he spoke with him was much more casual and natural, with fewer stutters and less embarrassment. He felt mostly comfortable around the younger, which was saying a lot, and he felt...happy. Jongdae couldn't afford this little crush to ruin their friendship, though, so he decided to just suck up his feelings and go with the flow. It wasn't the ideal plan, but what was a helpless romantic to do?

A sudden wolf whistle brought Jongdae back to reality, and he jumped upon seeing Chanyeol smirking at him. "Lookin' good there, Jongdae, my man."

The aforementioned looked down at himself and realized that he had not put a t-shirt on yet. Yelping in surprise, Jongdae blurted out a series of nonsensical words.

"Chan- arggg, you need...tell me....xklfadjgiroj..."

Chanyeol simply stared with wide eyes as Jongdae scrambled around to put his t-shirt on as quickly as possible. Everything seemed fine, until-

"Um. Jongdae. I think your shirt... yeah...backwards. And...inside out..."

Jongdae simply closed his eyes and counted to 10 in his head. _Deep breaths. It's okay. It's just Chanyeol._

 _'That's my damn problem'_  Jongdae thought to himself, attempting push his anxiety away. It was just an accident.

"Let's go."

"But...your shirt...aren't you-"

"Nope. It's fine."

"Are you-"

"Chanyeol."

"O...kay."

\----

The sea was beautiful, really. Jongdae managed to completely forget his embarrassing t-shirt incident earlier that day when he watched the sea with awe and admiration. Sure, he had seen the ocean before, but this was a whole new perspective. He had a new appreciation for nature and felt as though his connection to it had drastically strengthened.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Minseok's voice said suddenly, making Jongdae jump slightly. The elder chuckled as Jongdae grumbled under his breath. "Sorry, Jongdae."

"You're fine," the aforementioned replied, smiling slightly. Minseok looked up at the sky and moments later, looked back at the younger and asked. "so, how was your night last night?"

"Lovely," Jongdae replied, grinning when he felt his feet touch the sand of the beach, "our room is amazing. The view is just incredible."

"I'm sure it is," Minseok replied in a teasing voice, "especially when you wake up, am I right? Enough for a sweet good morning kiss and-"

"Hyung!"

Jongdae's face lit up like a fire as Minseok laughed quietly. "Your shirt  _is_  backwards...and inside out. Is there something I should know about-"

"I will murder you."

"Uh-huh."

Jongdae sighed and a few seconds later, he mumbled in reply. "We...just slept, okay? Nothing more, nothing less."

"Alright," the elder replied in a more genuine voice, "just let me know if you need anything, okay?"

Jongdae nodded in reply, smiling at his friend reassuringly. "What about you? Becoming buddy-buddy with Joonmyun hyung?"

"He's actually a really interesting person," Minseok replied happily, "we drank some beer last night after getting to the room. On our little terrace or whatever. Talked about life, work, you know..."

"Heard you decided not to invite anyone on your little bike ride this morning," Jongdae replied, feigning a sniffle, "you know I love biking..."

"Not my call, Dae," the elder replied in a soft voice, ruffling Jongdae's hair playfully as the latter swatted his hand away. "Joonmyun hyung wanted to discuss a few private matters."

"With you."

"Yes."

The younger stared at Minseok incredulously before chuckling softly. "Alright."

The two then continued in a comfortable silence before catching up to the rest of the group.

_Curious._

\----

"Get back here, you damn dried up tuna fish!"

Jongdae was practically dying of laughter as he and the group watched as Kyungsoo and Jongin swam after Baekhyun and Sehun, who had just pulled them underwater by surprise. Not to maim, of course, but simply as a joke.

"Too slow, hoe!"

Baekhyun's voice was shrill and loud and hilarious to listen to as he tripped over himself and fell face first into the water. Minseok was laughing his ass off, a shocking action from someone so serious. He caught Jongdae's eye, and the two shared an amused knowing look before directing their attention back to the horseplay in the water.

"Best you watch yourself," Joonmyun mumbled to the pair with a nervous look in his eyes, "most of our idiot friends love to pull this shit and it-- _yaaaaaaaaaa_ -"

Joonmyun never finished his sentence - he screamed at quite a high pitch while Kyungsoo emerged from the water, grinning broadly and proudly.

"Gotcha, you sneaky bastard," he said, high-fiving Baekhyun and other numerous friends.

"Whaaaat?" Chanyeol exclaimed, eyes wide and grin large, "Kyungsoo is actually  _joking around_? What has this world come to?"

"Continue like this and you're next," Kyungsoo replied in a suddenly serious voice, eyes piercing and gaze intimidating. Chanyeol must have been accustomed to such looks, since he simply laughed again and shrugged it off. "You can't scare me."

"Is that so? Says the person who jumped after someone announced they were letting off fireworks and-"

"I wasn't paying attention!"

"As usual."

"But..."

Jongdae chuckled and caught the eyes of Joonmyun, Baekhyun, Sehun, Jongin, and Minseok before nodding to Chanyeol and making a few motions with his hands that indicated a surprise attack. Baekhyun nodded subtly and winked before turning his attention back to Chanyeol's and Kyungsoo's bickering. Jongdae bit his lip and smiled to himself before dipping his head under the water and sneakily swimming over to the general area where Chanyeol was. He emerged for air once before diving back under and swimming to where the younger was floating before quickly making his way up to the surface. The moment he hit air, he latched onto Chanyeol's back and yelled, "shark!"

Chanyeol shrieked loudly before losing his balance and tumbling into the water with the elder still on his back. They tussled in the water for a moment before making it to the surface. Chanyeol took several dramatic deep breaths and shook the wet hair out of his eyes before fighting Jongdae off his back.

"You conniving panini head!" he exclaimed, staring at Jongdae incredulously while the elder laughed. "Okay, Gordon Ramsay, I-"

"I could have  _died_!"

"Stop being dramatic, Yeol," Baekhyun snickered, avoiding the water that was splashed at him. "You deserved it anyway!"

Chanyeol shot Baekhyun a dirty look before looking back at Jongdae with a kicked puppy look. "You betrayed me!"

"Shame," Jongdae replied casually, sighing for the effect. A few of the others hollered and laughed while Chanyeol sulked. "Some friend you are..."

"Ah, c'mon hyung!" Sehun exclaimed with a small smile, "we're all here for fun and games, right? You love to torture us anyway, so it's nice to see you get your ass pranked for-"

"Whatever, you bean pole."

Chanyeol's tone was dismissive, but the rapidly growing grin on his face showed his true lighthearted and forgiving nature. Soon, the group was back to splashing around and playing in the water, with only laughter in the air. (With the occasional swear, of course).

Thus, the group swam for another hour or so before the boys began to feel exhausted. Jongdae was no different, of course. He supported himself on Minseok as they made their way out of the ocean, the feeling of the rough sand almost foreign to them.

"I'm starving," Jongdae mumbled as they made their way to a set of picnic tables near the beach, "haven't eaten anything since this morning..."

"Kyungsoo makes some amazing food, doesn't he?" Minseok replied, dragging his roommate along by the arm, "especially his kimchi dishes. They are  _to die for_."

"Amen to that."

With that, the rest of the group caught up with them, and Jongdae began another conversation with Baekhyun and Joonmyun about ideas for group activities. Some suggestions were Cards Against Humanity, Jackbox,  What Do You Meme?, and the classic game of poker.

They agreed on Cards Against Humanity, and the group played well into the night, only going to bed when they felt their eyelids droop and energy finally begin to tank.

\---

It was their last evening on Jeju Island, and the group decided to sit around a campfire with snacks and alcohol while playing games and telling stories and reminiscing on the past few days of their weeklong getaway. Jongdae, not much of a heavy drinker himself, sipped on a glass of plum wine, the alcohol warming his insides comfortably. After a week of being on Jeju, he felt much more comfortable with Chanyeol's friends - he felt as though they had become his own friends as well. He had become close with Joonmyun and Baekhyun in particular, and the latter liked to tell secrets about Chanyeol that made Jongdae chuckle.

_"Chanyeol cries so easily during like every movie," Baekhyun said as they two ate lunch together out on the terrace, "and I'm not talking like, 'Miracle in Cell No. 7', I'm talking, like, 'Crazy Rich Asians'."_

_"You're kidding," Jongdae replied with raised eyebrows, "but that movie isn't sa-"_

_"Exactly."_

When Jongdae confronted Chanyeol about his strong emotions, the younger didn't seem to care. He was more grumpy about the fact that Baekhyun had exposed him. However, the two spent the evening watching the historical drama,  _Dong Yi_ , and Chanyeol did, as Baekhyun said, cry like a big baby. (Jongdae had to admit, he teared up a couple times, but Chanyeol doesn't have to know that).

Everyone, however, was very welcoming and easy to get along with. Just like with Chanyeol, Jongdae felt his anxiety slowly die down each time he spoke with the others. He felt safe, comfortable, and normal around them - they were always kind and welcoming. Now, on their last night on Jeju Island, Jongdae felt like family. Yeah, it was only a week together, but he felt like it had already been an entire lifetime. And that feeling was so foreign, yet so, so liberating.

"Yo, yo, Jongdae!"

Jongdae pulled himself from his thoughts and looked up at the group. "Huh?"

"What was your favorite memory from this trip?" Jongin repeated.

Jongdae thought. A number of memories instantly popped into his head, a number of them being of just him and Chanyeol. However, to spare his pride, he replied with a more inclusive memory.

"I really enjoyed hiking the Gwangchigi [Olle](https://jejuolletrailinformation.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/oct2017_en-guidebook_jeju-olle-trail-small.pdf)," he replied genuinely, "the views were absolutely incredible, and it...it felt almost like a dream, especially in the denser areas..."

It was true - the trail was incredible to walk on, and the walk took them a good 5 hours or so, and the group made a couple interesting connections with the fellow walkers, who were mostly older than them by a couple decades, at least.

"That was my favorite, too!" Joonmyun replied enthusiastically, taking a swig of beer before continuing, "especially when we visited the Honinji pond, a very interesting part of folklore and-"

"Alright, you nerd," Kyungsoo interrupted, chuckling, "Sehun, what about you?"

Jongdae continued to listen to his friends, but he couldn't help but let his mind wander every once in a while. He could hardly believe that this whole week even happened. Just a couple months ago, he was a sad and anxious restaurant employee whose only happiness was cuddling with his kitten at night. Now, here he was, reminiscing on memories on Jeju Island, of all places, with a group of five new genuine, amazing friends who loved and accepted him for who he was. At first, Jongdae thought that everything seemed almost too good to be true. However, as the days went by, he slowly began to ignore the toxic voice in his head, and would rather focus on the good in life.

A few more minutes passed, and the group of guys grew more and more rowdy as more and more alcohol was consumed. Jongdae's eyes met Chanyeol's, and the latter sent a look that asked,  _"do you want to go inside?"_  Jongdae simply shook his head and sent him a small smile. Chanyeol inhaled deeply but simply nodded and shifted his attention back to the group. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were singing obnoxiously to Red Velvet's  _Power Up_ , while Joonmyun and Minseok, in their drunken states, danced their hearts out to the song. Jongin and Sehun cheered them on, the latter recording the ridiculous moment on his phone. Jongdae laughed along, mouthing the familiar words of his favorite girl group. Everything seemed fine and dandy until-

"Yo, Jongdae, join us!"

Jongdae's heart stopped and his mind blanked. He looked at Baekhyun, who had made the offer, with a blank look. Baekhyun, too drunk to notice the tension, simply continued. "C'mon, Jongdae, join us! You look like you have a bitchin' voice, dude!"

"Yeah, Jongdae, c'mon!"

"Jongdae! Jongdae!"

The energy was completely overwhelming, and the guys were too intoxicated to notice. Or care. Jongdae sent a pleading look to Minseok, who, despite being tipsy as well, sent him back a worried glance before trying to calm the group down.

"G-guys, let's sing another song, how about Girl's Gener-"

"Come on, Jongdae, just one? I'm sure Chanyeol would-"

Jongdae couldn't handle it anymore. He couldn't handle the noise, the group...He held his head in frustration while willing back tears. The chanting continued for a few more seconds before Jongdae sprang out of his seat and yelled, "shut up!"

The entire group went silent. The only sound was another Red Velvet song playing on Sehun's phone. Baekhyun and Joonmyun stared at him with wide, concerned eyes. Jongin and Sehun stared at each other before looking nervously at their older friend. Kyungsoo looked at Minseok, whose eyes were shut in sadness and guilt. Chanyeol's eyes were wide with shock, fear, and concern. However, Jongdae didn't want to talk to anyone. To see anyone. To even  _think_  of anyone.

So he bolted.

Unbeknownst to Jongdae, Minseok simply stood from his own seat with a scowl on his face.

"What did I tell you?" he asked the group, anger and sadness evident in his voice, "shame on you."

With those final words, Minseok turned and walked towards the house without even a glance back.

A tense silence filled the air, and the once uplifting and cheerful mood turned sour and heavy.

\---

Jongdae fought back the tears in his eyes as he ran away from the group, completely and utterly humiliated. He didn't even sing for the group and still felt like a complete loser. How could he possibly face them again? How could he possibly face Chanyeol again? Lost in a sea of negative thoughts, he found a rather large tree to hide under, away from the campfire, but not so far so he couldn't hear them. He may have been agitated, but he wasn't reckless.

Jongdae plopped down rather pathetically and allowed the tears to fall from his eyes and down his cheeks, letting little sniffles out every once in a while.

It was an overreaction, really. All they wanted to do was hear him sing. The only people who knew that Jongdae liked to sing were Chanyeol and Minseok, and Minseok was the only person who knew just how good the younger was. Jongdae overheard Minseok telling the group to not bring up singing around Jongdae.

_"Yes, he's good," Minseok had said quietly, "but he's just not ready to perform yet. Give him time."_

Jongdae had been a little upset that Minseok exposed his talent, but appreciated the act nonetheless. He had always been too shy to sing for anyone, especially Chanyeol, and at this moment, perhaps he was beginning to regret his past decisions. He just wasn't ready to show off his skills to everyone yet. His anxiety was practically screaming at him, berating him for becoming so bold recently. Berating him for allowing himself to let his guard down. For taking chances. For being spontaneous, flirty, and reckless.

 _For nearly kissing Chanyeol the night before_.

Jongdae's heart hammered in his chest when he remembered the pair's early morning swim. He remembered how they acted like carefree children, splashing around and playing games and _oh god, the touching_. Jongdae's skin still tingled when he remembered how Chanyeol's arms around his shoulder felt so protective, how the latter carried him into the ocean bridal style before throwing him ruthlessly into the water...How Chanyeol buried his face in Jongdae's hair, his breath tickling the latter's skin in the most exhilarating of ways. How the two stared into each other's eyes and slow, so _slowly_ , leaned in to each other until their lips were nearly three centimeters away from each other. And then Jongdae let his nerves take over, and he backed away.

For the first time in forever it seemed, Jongdae was truly happy. Of _course_ , his body had to ruin everything for him, once again. Now, here he was sitting under a tree alone because his nerves, once again, got the best of him.

"Maybe it's not meant to be," Jongdae whispered bitterly to himself, wiping frustratffed tears from his cheeks, "gosh, I'm pathetic..."

He allowed himself to cry, however; that was how he coped with overwhelming emotions. It took a little while, and after he had gotten over his initial frustration, he retrieved his headphones, plugged them into his phone, and chose a song. Singing and music also calmed him down, and within two or three minutes, he was humming along to one of his favorite songs: _Everytime_ , by Chen and Punch. It was a lighthearted love song that never failed to lift his spirits. Somewhere during the song, Jongdae began to sing along, quietly but definitively. He forgot his previous sadness and fears and allowed his true nature to show, even though he was alone.

 _"When you look at me_  
When you look at me and smile,  
It feels like my heart will stop.  
How about you?  
It’s really hard for me to handle.  
All day, I think of you.  
We went in circles for a long time,  
But even if it’s now, I’m alright."

Jongdae continued to sing along until the end, when he allowed the music to fade into silence. Feeling calm and relieved, for the first time in a while, the young man smiled. _Truly_ smiled. Smiled, because he realized that throughout the song, all he could picture was Chanyeol's face. Chanyeol's smile. Chanyeol's _everything._

Jongdae imagined that this was what being in love felt like, and it was...surprisingly nice. He had only denied the possibility earlier because he never ever believed that someone could actually _like_ him. He always believed that Chanyeol was out of his league, no matter how kind, sweet, or flirty the latter acted. His mind never allowed him to think overly positive or hopeful.

Over the course of this vacation, Jongdae began to truly believe that there was a possibility that maybe, _just maybe_ , Chanyeol had the smallest amount of feelings for him too. Jongdae may have been anxious, but he wasn't stupid. He noticed when Chanyeol stared at him longer than necessary, he noticed the small smiles and soft blushes. He noticed everything, and it gave Jongdae hope.

Now, however, everything seemed to have come crashing down. Jongdae was in one of his moods again, and the loving bubble he had protected himself in had seemingly popped.

"What am I going to do?" Jongdae whispered to himself, the happy feelings from the song slowly waring off, "I'm so pathetic..."

"No, you're not."

A new voice tore Jongdae away from his mind, and when he saw who was behind him, he turned 50 shades of scarlet. "Ch...Chanyeol..."

The taller man was standing behind Jongdae, wearing his swim trunks and a white t-shirt. His eyes were filled with concern, but he still retained a small smile. "May...may I sit by you?"

Jongdae nodded once before burying his face in his arms, too embarrassed to face his friend. He felt Chanyeol's large body take a seat next to him, and luckily, he had enough senses to not start talking immediately. The two sat in silence and listened to their surroundings - the ocean water and soft waves, the crickets and other wildlife, the barely-there wind blowing through the foliage, and the distant talking and laughing of their friend group.

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol said after a minute of silence, gazing out towards the ocean, "I tried to get them to shut up. You know how they are when they're drunk..."

"I...I get it," Jongdae replied in just over a whisper, biting his lip to will back any more tears. The taller looked over at Jongdae and frowned. "You're shaking."

"O-Oh, really?" the latter replied in a rather high-pitched voice, "I...I..."

Jongdae didn't finish his sentence, however. His emotions got the best of him, and within moments, he was crying again. He felt Chanyeol pull him into his lap, and while normal Jongdae would have protested in embarrassment, he simply let himself be handled like a ragdoll. That's how he felt anyway.

Chanyeol held Jongdae close. He didn't say anything, not even in a whisper, but he did rub Jongdae's tummy and plant tiny kisses in the latter's hair every so often. The soothing actions did eventually calm him down, and after about 10 minutes, the pair sat in a comfortable silence. They looked at the ocean and the reflection of the moon on the calm water. The stars were exceptionally clear tonight, and Jongdae felt a wave of calmness flow over his body.

"S-Sorry," he said moments later, coughing awkwardly, "for...ruining your evening..."

"Ruin?" Chanyeol questioned with the slightest amount of tease in his voice, "gazing off at the beautiful ocean and stars with Jongdae under a tree on Jeju Island? Way better than hanging out with drunk Baekhyun."

Jongdae couldn't help but chuckle at the comment, and Chanyeol grinned from ear to ear. "There's that smile I've been looking for."

"You're so...cheesy," the elder said quietly, turning his head and looking Chanyeol in the eyes for the first time in a while. His heart was racing and he tried his best to will back an inevitable blush.

"Only for you," Chanyeol replied softly, "Jongdae...I have a question for you..."

Heart pounding and face warming up, the aforementioned simply nodded. "O-okay..."

Chanyeol took a deep breath and chuckled to himself before asking in an uncharacteristically small voice, "who...who were you singing to? A couple minutes ago?"

"Huh?"

Jongdae's reply was dumb but he really didn't understand. What was Chanyeol talking about? He wasn't singing to anyone, was he? He was just singing along with his favorite song and just- oh. _Oh._ The realization hit Jongdae like a pile of bricks, and he pursed his lips and avoided eye contact.

"Oh...That..." he said in barely above a whisper, shifting his body uncomfortably.

"You...you were singing to someone," the younger said quietly, "I could tell..."

"Why...why do you want to, you know...know?" Jongdae asked in reply, genuinely curious. Chanyeol chuckled breathlessly before scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Come now, Jongdae, are you going to make this so difficult for me?"

Jongdae simply furrowed his eyebrows and Chanyeol sighed.

"Jongdae," the latter said moments later, "I was...I'm asking because I, um...I was hoping that you were, you know. Singing...to me."

Jongdae's mouth opened to say something but no words came out. Even in the moonlight, he could see Chanyeol's ears redden, and although the latter kept his head high, his eyes were full of worry and anticipation.

"Singing to...you?" Jongdae said out loud, "I-I guess I-"

"I like you," Chanyeol interrupted before the latter could continue, "I like you...Fuck, Jongdae... I really like you..."

Jongdae had never heard Chanyeol curse like that before, and he was slightly nervous but mostly excited. "Y-you...you like...me?" The younger only nodded, biting his lip nervously. "I heard you singing that song...And I could only hope that you were singing to me because...I would like to think that you, you know...like me too..."

"Since when?" Jongdae asked suddenly, covering his mouth immediately after - he even shocked himself.

"Since when what?" Chanyeol asked in a more lighthearted voice, eyes curious. Jongdae took a deep breath and managed to say, "since when did...you...when did you first...like me?"

The elder expected Chanyeol to be upset, to be too embarrassed to say anything, but he was wrong.

"Ahh," he said, smiling broadly, his cheeks simply _glowing_ , "well..." he chuckled. "To be completely honest...since I first helped you up when you fell that one day at work...I was in my seat and noticed you. I thought you looked so handsome in your uniform, so determined...but then you fell and I...I knew I had to help you..."

Jongdae didn't even realize that he was smiling until Chanyeol smiled at him. "My feelings...ah...my feelings continued to grow exponentially since then...and this vacation, you know, being here together, sharing a room...it's been almost too much to handle. My heart...my heart's about to give out at this point..."

Jongdae and Chanyeol stared at each other for nearly thirty seconds before the latter spoke in a whisper. "Please...say something..."

"I...I, um...Iliketoochanyeolbutivebeentooscaredtosayanythingforthelongesttimelikeeversincewefirstgotcoffeeihavebeentotallyenamoredandidreamaboutyouandwhenyoutouchmeitdrivesmecrazyandthispastweekhasbeensoamazingandijustyeahilikeyousoyeah."

Jongdae prayed and prayed that Chanyeol didn't understand a single word he had just said, but upon seeing hte latter's huge dorky smile and pink cheeks, it would as though he understood completely. Or at least enough.

"I've waited forever to hear you say that."

"O-oh." A sigh, and then- "w-wait...y-you knew?"

Chanyeol smiled. "You may be quiet but you're not unreadable," he chuckled, "besides, we _are_ kinda gross when we're together, even you have to admit. Also...your friend Minseok hyung may or may not have tipped me off last night when-"

"WHAT?"

"- _after_ I already told him that I liked you."

Jongdae stared at Chanyeol incredulously while the latter laughed out loud. "Don't worry, Jongdae, he didn't mention anything about you until I told him that I had a thing for you. Which he apparently had already known."

"That sly bastard," Jongdae grumbled, though he was secretly thankful that Minseok had pointed Chanyeol in the right direction.

A few moments passed before the latter chuckled.

"So," he said moments later, grinning mischievously, " _were_ you singing to me?"

Jongdae grumbled under his breath, burying his face in his arms. "What do you think, doofus?"

Chanyeol didn't reply, but he reached around and pinched Jongdae's side, causing him to yelp and fall into Chanyeol's arms, perhaps not-so-unexpectantly. Chanyeol pulled Jongdae close to his body, completely ignoring the latter's whining.

"You have such a melodious voice," Chanyeol said fondly, smiling down at Jongdae, who was frozen despite his burning cheeks. "Honestly, like honey. Gosh, you just...you make me so happy..."

The two stared at each other in a comfortable silence, the moment reminiscent of earlier today. Jongdae saw concern and calmness in Chanyeol's eyes, and when the latter smiled so purely, so _genuinely_ , something in Jongdae snapped. He was done for, melted into a pile of putty, completely under Chanyeol's control. Undeniably smitten, and completely head-over-heels. There was no use in trying to hide or supress it anymore.

So, in the spur of the moment, Jongdae did the most un-Jongdae thing he could think of - he wrapped his arms around Chanyeol's shoulders and moved so that his legs straddled the middle of his thighs. Chanyeol's eyes widened but he didn't comment on their current situation, and Jongdae thanked him for that. His original surge of bravery died down as quickly as it came, and within moments, he buried his burning face in the crevice between Chanyeol's neck and shoulder.

_How embarrassing._

Chanyeol chuckled very softly and gently placed his hands on each side of Jongdae's thin waist.

"You're so tiny," he whispered, reveling in the elder's shy grumbling, "so pocket-sized. So perfect for me to hold."

"St-stop," Jongdae pleaded in barely above a whisper, softly punching Chanyeol's back, "you're cringy..."

"You like this though," the younger whispered in Jongdae's ear, sending physical shivers down his spine, "me, whispering softly into your ear..."

"I'm going to murder you," Jongdae hissed, pinching Chanyeol's side in revenge. With quick reflexes, however, the latter grabbed Jongdae's hand and grinned. "Is that so, Dae?"

The diminutive sent a wave of warm fuzzies through Jongdae's body, but he couldn't show that it affected him _so damn much_.

"Yup."

"Will it be long and torturous or quick and painless?"

"Depends on how...obnoxious you continue to be."

"Uh-huh. Go on."

"I...I have nothing else to say on this matter."

"Good."

Jongdae would have been more offended at Chanyeol's dismissive last comment, but when he blinked, his heart nearly jumped through his throat upon realizing just how close they were. He suddenly became hyperaware of Chanyeol's long arms wrapped around his waist, of how close their faces were to each other, and how Chanyeol not-so-subtly glanced down at his lips every few moments.

Jongdae's face lit up like a match hitting gasoline. His heart pounded nearly out of his chest, he suddenly felt stuffy in his thin t-shirt, and he thought he felt a bead of sweat trickle down his temple when he saw Chanyeol very subtly bite his bottom lip.

 _I'm doomed_.

His mind was yelling at him - _get out! Emotions are dangerous! Stay safe Jongdae! Mission abort! Leave now!_

His heart, on the other hand, was practically bellowing at him in return - _don't you fucking move your ass, Jongdae! Emotions are natural! Live a little, love a little! I swear to god, you fucking owe me for sending me to hell and back for this boy._

Jongdae opted to go with his heart, and when he looked up at Chanyeol, the latter whispered three words that just tipped him over the edge.

"Please...kiss me."

Jongdae didn't think so much as do. He had already lost an uphill battle. Smiling shyly, he gazed down at Chanyeol's very pretty lips and back up to his eyes.

"You know Jongdae, I- mmm."

In that moment, Jongdae leaned and softly pressed his lips against Chanyeol's, effectively shutting him up. He let out air through his nose and immediately succumbed to the feeling as well. Jongdae wasn't entirely sure what to do. He was a twenty-two year old having his first kiss, and if Jongdae hadn't been so elated, he would have thought it was kind of pathetic. He pushed any negative emotion back, however, and focused all his positive energy on kissing Chanyeol to the best of his novice ability.

He gripped onto Chanyeol's shoulders for dear life and felt Chanyeol's arms pull him even closer than before. Jongdae couldn't help but smile against the younger's lips, and broke apart for just a moment to to say, "you talk too much."

"Ironic," Chanyeol replied in an amused whisper before leaning back in for another kiss. This time, he leaned his head a bit further to the side, and Jongdae felt his heart skip when Chanyeol parted his lips slightly and breathed shallowly into his mouth. The sensations had Jongdae's brain turned to mush, and he felt like a cloud. He kissed back as best he could, trying to follow the younger's actions.

Chanyeol's lips were soft against his, and when he oh so gently bit down on Jongdae's bottom lip, the latter audibly whined. Chanyeol hummed in amusement and barely leaned back before placing a soft apology kiss on the elder's lips.

"Gosh, you are trouble," Chanyeol mumbled in-between quick pecks, "what am I to do?"

"Shut up and kiss me," Jongdae replied in an uncharacteristically demanding voice, a bit of humor present.

"Watch your mouth, honey," the younger growled playfully, maneuvering and picking Jongdae up in a mere second, it seemed. Chanyeol hoisted Jongdae over his shoulder, and the latter simply screamed and laughed as he was carried across the beach.

"Put me down!" he demanded, lightly punching Chanyeol's back in attempt to free himself. "Now!"

"Uh huh," the younger replied with an amused eyeroll, "nice try."

The two continued to push and pull with each other, and eventually, Jongdae managed to knock Chanyeol off balance enough so that the two tumbled down onto the sandy beach. Chanyeol took most of the fall, and Jongdae couldn't help but feel bad about it.

"I...are you okay?" he asked in a worried voice after sitting up, shaking the sand out of his hair. Chanyeol groaned but nodded, still lying on his back. "I'll...I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?"

Jongdae bit his lip nervously, but relaxed a little when he saw Chanyeol grinning like an idiot. "With you by my side, I'll always be okay."

"Okay, Romeo."

Jongdae's tone said sassy, but his face said flustered; Chanyeol recognized that but decided not to say anything about it. Instead, he slowly sat up and then pulled the both of them up so that they stood, facing each other. The top of Jongdae's head barely reached the younger's eyebrows, and he felt a sense of safety and security. Chanyeol slowly wrapped his arms around Jongdae's waist, and Jongdae circled his arms around Chanyeol's shoulders. The pair held each other tightly, as if they were afraid to let go.

"You make me so happy," Chanyeol whispered sweetly into Jongdae's ear, leaving a soft kiss on Jongdae's high cheekbone before burying his face in the latter's hair. Jongdae felt like his heart would give out at any moment, and he hugged Chanyeol tighter in response.

"A-and you, me."

The atmosphere was serene, cool, and filled with the lighthearted energy of young love. Jongdae nuzzled into the crevice between Chanyeol's shoulder and neck, his hairs tickling the skin slightly.

The moment was intimate, innocent, and sickeningly sweet. Jongdae could hardly wrap his head around the fact that _Chanyeol liked him too_. That Chanyeol was here, hugging him as if his life depended on it. That Chanyeol had practically admitted to love at first sight. (Okay, it was more like crush at first sight - technicalities, technicalities...) The negative voice of his anxiety-ridden subconscious was silent, and for the first time in his life, Jongdae felt...free. Free from his mind, free from his crippling mentality...With that knowledge in his head, Jongdae could hardly contain his emotions. He smiled broadly and let out some giggles, positivity oozing out of him like lava in a volcano. Chanyeol took notice, and when the pair pulled apart, he smiled down at Jongdae.

"Someone's happy," he teased, bopping Jongdae's nose with his pointer finger, "what's got you riled up?"

"Knowing that you like me," Jongdae replied in a singsong voice, "you like me. You actually like me..."

"Took you long enough," Chanyeol replied, cheeks reddening slightly, mumbling under his breath. "Ah, you cutie..."

Rather than be embarrassed at the endearing nickname, Jongdae embraced it. He smiled as genuinely as he could, and when Chanyeol's knees literally _wobbled_ , the elder practically jumped into Chanyeol's arms for a kiss. The latter caught Jongdae under the thighs at the last second, and after a couple seconds of hobbling around, finally managed to balance enough to hold himself and Jongdae up.

"Someone's eager," Chanyeol teased, subtly moving his face enough so that Jongdae could lean in immediately to kiss him, "what's the sudden change of heart?"

"I'm...I'm done letting my toxic mind control me," Jongdae replied proudly, "I-I...no more regrets...just live in the moment."

Chanyeol's eyes sparkled and quickly turned into half-moons.

"That's absolutely... _incredible_ , Jongdae," he replied, peppering kisses all over the latter's face, "I'm so proud of you."

Jongdae smiled at the ticklish feeling before looking deeply into Chanyeol's eyes. "I...I can't promise I'll be perfect," he explained quietly, "it will, you know, take time and stuff. Just...please be patient with me?"

"I'd do anything for you," Chanyeol replied sincerely, chuckling at an afterthought that popped into his mind. "Okay, _almost_ anything."

"What about kiss me one million times?"

Jongdae's bold question had the younger laughing out loud. " _Baby_ ," he said, the nickname still making Jongdae blush, "I would kiss you one hundred billion times in a lifetime if I could."

"You are so cheesy," Jongdae sighed, burying his face into Chanyeol's neck. The aforementioned chuckled deeply.

"Well," he whispered in Jongdae's ear, "it's a relief you're not lactose intolerant then, hmm?"

Chanyeol received the silent treatment for five minutes. Good thing he could still admire the view.

\---

"I've said this before and I'm sure I'll say it again: you two are absolutely disgusting."

Minseok fake gagged when Chanyeol and Jongdae returned from their hiding spot, drunk on love. Chanyeol carried Jongdae on his back while the latter whispered all kinds of cheesy words in his ear.

"You're just jealous, hyung," Jongdae replied, sticking his tongue out teasingly at his roommate. Minseok simply rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said, sighing deeply, "We share a wall. I'd better not hear any strange noises coming from your room tonight, you hear me, Kim Jongdae?"

"Yes, _mother_."

The trio laughed quietly before Minseok spoke again. "Chanyeol, a quick word?"

"O-oh," the younger replied, nodding, "sure."

Jongdae sent Minseok a confused look, but the elder simply nodded reassuringly and motioned for Jongdae to wait. So, the latter carefully slid off Chanyeol's back and pinched his cheek lovingly before walking back to his and Chanyeol's room. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. and there was so much positive energy radiating from him that, once he got into the room, he jumped onto the bed and screamed into a pillow. Multiple times.

So he did. He let out all the energy he had in his body through screaming into a pillow, jumping up and dancing around, and just pacing and saying nonsense out loud. Jongdae may have looked crazy, but perhaps he was. He could still hardly believe anything that had just transpired in the past half hour or so - perhaps he would wake up the next morning and this all would have just been a cruel, cruel dream.

It couldn't have been, however. Everything was too  _real_  - the touches, the kisses, the atmosphere...It was all too raw and real, and maybe for once in his life, Jongdae completely lucked out.

"If you are trying to rationalize everything that has just happened, then I _will_ fight you."

Jongdae pulled himself from his thoughts immediately and smiled broadly when he saw Chanyeol leaning against the doorframe, grinning from ear to ear.

"I...I wasn't," Jongdae replied quietly, patting the seat next to him on the bed. The younger gently closed the door and slowly made his way over to Jongdae, who was bouncing in his seat. Chanyeol took a seat next to Jongdae, and before anyone could say anything, pulled the latter into a kiss, a bit more passionate than before. Caught off guard, Jongdae let out a small yelp before practically falling into Chanyeol, who pulled back and laughed.

"S-Sorry," he said, blushing furiously, "I'm still...not used to...yeah..."

"It's okay," Jongdae replied, leaning up to leave a quick kiss on Chanyeol's cheek, "me neither."

The two sat in a comfortable silence, looking up and giggling every couple of seconds, still not totally sure of how to act around each other. Jongdae had around a hundred thoughts running through his head, but he kept to himself, fiddling with his shirt and looking up at Chanyeol every once in a while.

"I..." Chanyeol began, but he didn't finish his sentence. Jongdae looked at him curiously. "What is it?"

"I...I can't remember," the younger replied quietly, grinning and shrugging, "guess I'm just at a loss for words when I'm around you."

"You're getting worse and worse," Jongdae groaned, falling back on the bed. He let out a shriek, however, when Chanyeol rolled onto him and poked him all over, inducing a series of obnoxious laughs.

"D-don't be st-stubborn!" Chanyeol laughed as Jongdae tried to fight him off, "hey!"

The pair rolled around a bit longer, laughing freely as they did. A minute passed, however, and the two eventually calmed down. Chanyeol was leaning on his elbow, looking down at Jongdae, who was lying on his back and knees bent on the bed. He suddenly felt shy about their position, and immediately did he curl up like a shrimp. Chanyeol didn't say anything but just smiled, softly and when Jongdae peeked his head out to look around, leaned in to press a gentle kiss to the latter's forehead.

"Thank...thank you," Chanyeol said in a voice that was like honey, "for, um, giving me a chance. And not, you know, calling the cops when I messaged you out of the blue the day I met you..."

Jongdae couldn't help but laugh at loud at that comment.

"I thought you were interesting," he replied truthfully, shrugging, "I mean, it was kinda odd, but you seemed really friendly. I was still super embarrassed about, you know...the fall at work, but when I realized that you weren't making fun of me or anything, I just...I fell again, this time harder and faster..."

"Is that so?" Chanyeol replied in an amused voice, raising an eyebrow, "Kim Jongdae, I believe you owe me an explanation."

"O-of what?" Jongdae replied, furrowing his eyebrows. Seriously,  _what_?

"Of how you came to like me," the younger replied, "all the juicy details, like I did earlier."

"Y-you already know," Jongdae replied hurriedly, "besides, it's not-"

"Pleeeeease?"

"It's  _embarrassing_."

"It's  _cute_."

"Like you."

"Don't deviate."

"It's true."

"I never said it wasn't."

"O...kay."

"Spill the tea."

Jongdae stared incredulously at Chanyeol, who was grinning from ear to ear. Not in the mood, however, he simply smiled softly and said, "another time, okay?"

Rather than whine or be upset, Chanyeol nodded a couple times. "Okay, of course. Anything for you."

Jongdae pulled him in for a long hug. The pair remained silent again for a couple of long minutes. The atmosphere was comfortable, however, and Jongdae could sit like this for hours. He was hypersensitive to Chanyeol's touch, and the skin to skin contact felt like a painless fire on his skin, sending tingles down his whole body. The way that Chanyeol affected him was simply incredible. After a few minutes, however, Jongdae had to speak; he was bursting internally with so much to say. However, he condensed his thoughts, and after a few more moments, managed to speak in a soft voice. "Th-thank you. For saving me...from myself. You're...you're just too good for someone like me."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Chanyeol replied, kissing the elder's cheek lightly, "you're perfect. Perfect for me, in every way."

"And you for me, Sweetest."

As the two clung to each other in a lover's embrace, Jongdae couldn't help but hear the ending stanza of  _Everytime_  playing softly in the back of his head, acting as the OST for the new chapter of his life.

_My one and only,_  
_Have I ever told you_  
_That you are my everything?_  
_You’re my destiny._  
_I want to protect you_  
_Until the end of the world_  
_I want to love you-_  
_Your eyes, your smile,_  
_Even your scent._  
_Remember,_  
_We are always together._  
_I love you._

Perhaps their feelings weren't those of love yet, but as time would eventually go on, they would hopefully evolve into a deep, committed love that would last an eternity.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh well, Everytime has finally come to an end! Thank you to everyone who supported me and this fic ♥ This story is near and dear to my heart, and although it was a project that ended up taking over a year to finish (when it really should have only taken a couple months...), I truly hope that you enjoyed it. I know that some parts may seem rushed in the middle, but I was trying my best to present a quality chapter in relatively decent time...I tried lol. Anyway, I may be doing some outtake chapters in a little while, so keep an eye out for those! (let me know what you want to see)


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